The Times of Restoration
by Elizabeth7
Summary: [COMPLETED] Draco divorces his parents after 7th year when he finds out what they have been up to in the Death Eater ranks. Sequel to 'This Present Darkness' from Draco's perspective. Please read This Present Darkness first.
1. Prologue, Cause I'm Your Creation Daddy

The Times of Restoration  
  
"until the times of restoration of all things," Acts 3:21  
  
Prologue  
  
"Their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed innocent blood: their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity; wasting and destruction are in their paths." Isaiah 59:7  
  
Draco stood in the cold mud of the North York Moors and shivered slightly. Even though his robes were heavy, the cold was creeping and persistent. It penetrated his thin body and sank deep into his bones.  
  
Voldemort was crapping on as per usual, he thought off-handedly. He had only been to two meetings before this one but he was already tired of the words that were hailed at him mercilessly like weapons, numbing his mind and heart both. Voldemort's words were formal and ridiculous but oddly unrelenting and like the cold, they penetrated the boy to the bone.  
  
He felt suffocated behind the silver and black velvet mask. It barely allowed enough air if you were standing still and he had already trekked for half an hour over this hostile landscape with his parents. The sweat had long dried on his body and now he felt half frozen.  
  
As Voldemort's high, thin voice whined on Draco's mind wondered. It was only his third meeting and he already regretted taking the Dark Mark. The initiation ceremony had been a theatrical farce but Draco had felt the full, enslaving power that the Death Eaters now had over his life - particularly Voldemort, of course. He had taken the Mark because it had always been expected of him and he himself had never questioned it. To him, being a Death Eater had seemed a glamorous, mysterious and empowering thing. In a short time, he had learned that it was really a mundane, boring and enslaving thing.  
  
*** Draco thought back over his initiation. Like all secret societies, he had had to wear initiation robes and be led blindfolded to the Death Eater's headquarters. Even now, he didn't know the location. That knowledge was for inner circle members only. He had had to swear an oath of allegiance that he had previously learned off by heart and recite it perfectly on his knees. Then they had cut him across one side of his pale, thin chest and taken some of his blood. This was used as the ink on the contract which was forged magically on charmed parchment that could never be destroyed. He had had to sign it in his own blood too with a special quill but that was at the end of the ceremony. Once his blood was taken, he had his blindfold removed and was told to stand to receive the Dark Mark. It was burned into the sensitive skin of his inner forearm with a red-hot brand charmed specially to not scar but rather leave a pitch black image that would burn red hot again at Voldemort's command. If the boy had flinched this point, he would have been rejected and his memory erased. Then he was presented with the Death Eater robes and mask, and required to sign the contract in front of all the Death Eaters as witnesses. Before he melted into the crowd of other Death Eaters, he was required to prostrate himself fully on the floor before Voldemort and kiss the hem of his robe. He did this with the dignity and air of a priest at his ordination.  
  
He had come through it with flying colours, as he had always known he would. He did not make a mistake nor even hesitate as he said the oath. He did not flinch when he was cut or burned. His signature was sure and rapid. Narcissa and Lucius watched him keenly throughout and seemed satisfied at the end - not pleased, just satisfied. He had not embarrassed them and that was all they cared about.  
  
A sudden chill wind across the moors brought Draco suddenly back to the present. He flexed his pectoral muscle where the cut was still healing from the ceremony. It ached in the cold. It had not been just a scratch; the cut had been deep and close to his heart.  
  
".**we are taking as many male Muggle-borns from England to our camps to build underground laboratories, and will later take yet more. Not one of them will ever come within the field of vision of the pureblood people. I am convinced that things would look bleak for the purebloods if we had not resolved the Muggle-born problem there, if, for example, the camps North of Gillamoor or the other West of Callington were still in existence," Voldemort was saying.  
  
A chill that did not come from the wind over the North Sea suddenly froze Draco's blood in his veins. Did Voldemort just say what I thought he just said, he wondered? Draco swayed slighty on his feet. The Death Eaters had camps they were taking Muggle-borns to, he realised with dawning horror. He literally felt blood drain from his face and the fine hairs on his arms stood on end.  
  
He glanced at his parents. They were unmoved and he realised with a sudden feeling of light-headedness that they knew. Not only did they know but must have known for a long time as they were part of Voldemort's inner circle and always had been.  
  
He wanted to get away suddenly but was hemmed in by other Death Eaters. He began to listen carefully to what Voldemort was saying, hoping for more information but it was just more self-congratulatory and inflammatory rhetoric. Eventually he paused.  
  
"Bring the girl," Voldemort said suddenly into the silence.  
  
Draco frowned and looked around the gathering. He soon saw a familiar looking figure being led to where Voldemort held center stage. As she came closer he recognized Hermione and his lips parted in shock behind the Death Eater mask.  
  
Draco knew she was a good as dead. She was a mudblood and had been stupid enough to try and crash a Death Eater meeting. He felt no fondness for Hermione but he certainly did not wish to see her murdered. He held his breath as the girl drew close to Voldemort.  
  
"Well, the little mudblood whore friend of Harry Potter will finally get what's coming to her," Narcissa drawled coldly in her high voice. She recognized Hermione from attending Quidditch while her son was at Hogwarts. Narcissa had seen Hermione with a triumphant Harry Potter more times than she cared to remember.  
  
Draco watched with frowning concentration as Voldemort called Snape over to them. They were saying something but he couldn't quite hear what it was. Voldemort's red eyes suddenly glowed with fury and he raised his wand. Draco closed his eyes behind the mask. He didn't want to watch. He didn't hear the killing curse however and opened them again curiously to see a magnificent black unicorn standing before the suddenly rather small looking wizard. Draco's mouth fell open. He had never seen anything like it. The gracile animal seemed to suck the light out of the dim torches and condense the darkness into thick, living shadow. Its eyes burned like live coals and its horn glowed, throwing gold light in a circle around it.  
  
Voldemort seemed frozen as the unicorn lowered its horn and charged. Suddenly out of the night, Draco heard Snape hiss the killing curse and Voldemort was silhouetted by green light for a millisecond before disappearing into a black fog. The unicorn wheeled and screamed.  
  
Draco gasped and clutching his ears, he fell to the ground as the unicorn's cry went through him like a laser through flesh. It burnt up his soul and paralysed his mind. In that second, he doubted anything good could ever happen again. Finally it was over and he picked himself up and ran into the night, as far from that unicorn as he could get.  
  
Ten minutes later he was lost and alone in the pitch dark on the North York Moors. He tripped and fell over into the thick, freezing mud and lay there trying to catch his breath. He had no idea what to do next. All he had wanted was to get away from that sound and from any possibility of having to hear it again. Gradually his breathing calmed and he was able to think. He remembered Voldemort talking about the camps and the perception that his parents had known about them all along. He realized he wanted to see the camps for himself, to see if they were real. Slowly he stood up, quite unconscious now of the cold and the mud.  
  
He did not have his apparating license yet but could apparate perfectly well as his parents had taught him how to do it years ago. He had been apparating illegally for years. He frowned as he struggled to remember what Voldemort had said. Something about new underground camps like the ones at.. was it Gillamoor and. Callington, he thought? Well, if he had to choose locations for new camps he'd build them under the old ones, he reasoned. Then it would be easy enough to take materials from the old structures to make the new. Still thinking rather hazily, he decided to try Gillamoor first and apparated there. "Lumos," he said immediately and his wand tip lit up.  
  
Using a simple compass spell, he walked northward for about fifteen minutes and near an old underground burn* he felt a sudden warmth where the Dark Mark on his forearm had been burned not long before. "So it must be around here," he murmured. Green torches suddenly sprang to life on either side of the cave-like entry to the burn. He scrambled down the embankment and found himself face-to-face with massive iron doors just inside the cave.  
  
He waded through the icy, shallow water to the doors. He felt a quick, hot sensation on his arm again, and the doors slowly and silently opened. Almost like a sleepwalker, Draco stumbled in. He found himself walking down a massive tunnel.  
  
To his amazement, he had not encountered a single fellow Death Eater. The place seemed to be deserted. He knew all of them would have been at the meeting but why had none of them come back here? Had they been frightened off by Voldemort's sudden demise? Yes, he realized, that was exactly what had happened. With Voldemort no longer around to protect them they had deserted all the centers of Death Eater activity in case they were caught and put in Azkaban.  
  
Right at that point however, Draco did not give a damn about Azakaban. He wanted to find out the truth about what Voldemort and his parents had been up to and everything else could go to hell. He came to another immense set of doors. Once again, these opened for him and he cautiously stepped through to find himself in a waking nightmare.  
  
He stared open mouthed at the rows of human sized cages and the laboratory equipment. Slowly he walked along the cages, peering into them. He thought they were all empty until he came to his first victim. It was a middle-aged man, emaciated to almost a skeleton. His head was shaved and he was naked, his thin knees drawn up to a chest where every rib showed through. His face was turned away from Draco and he did not move, as though he had not heard Draco's footsteps on the stone floor. The cage was filthy and Draco stepped back suddenly when he realized the man's skin was crawling with lice. The smell made Draco gag and he looked away in horror. His pale eyes quickly scanned the other cages. Sure enough, there were other wizards in a similar condition in some of them. Not a lot but enough. Slowly Draco stepped away from the rows of cages and in a sudden desperate move, he tore himself away from the sight and ran through one of the doorways off the main chamber.  
  
He found himself in a Dark Arts library and he threw himself on a couch in relief and suddenly found himself weeping. He smeared his dirty hands over his face in an effort to wipe the hated tears away. He had not cried for years, he was not going to start now. He sniffed and pushed his wet hair out of his face and spawled on the couch, his skinny legs thrown out in front of him. He closed his eyes and rested his pale head on the back of the couch. He just wanted to sit still and not think for a long, long time.  
  
* * *  
  
Draco could not help but think. As he sat there filthy and wet and cold, he reviewed his life up until then and the hellish revelations that night had brought. The past few weeks had disillusioned him about the glamour and power of the Death Eaters but that night had vanquished any thoughts of the Death Eater's cause being a noble or righteous one. As he pushed one hand through his hair, he realized it was shaking. He pursed his thin mouth in annoyance at his own weakness. He knew he needed to make some drastic changes to his life and as he sat there, he thought them through very carefully.  
  
A sudden noise startled Draco out of his reverie. It was the doors of the main chamber opening, he realized. He bit his lip anxiously and checked his watch. Yes, he had been there for hours. Long enough for Dumbledore to have assembled a team and infiltrated the place. Now that he understood that Snape was an undercover agent for Dumbledore, he guessed that Snape had gone back with the information from the meeting and everyone had come straight there using the same deductions as he had himself. It had not taken the team of Aurors long to dismantle the charms around the camp, he thought.  
  
He had no idea what to do. Should he go out and turn himself in, and take the risk that he would be thrown straight into Azkaban or should he hide and hope that he could dodge the team and escape after they left? He opted for the latter for the time being. Silently he crept into the large fireplace and crouched to one side, out of anyone's direct line of vision. He knew a preliminary search would not be likely to include the fireplace but all the bookshelves would be searched in case they hid secret passageways.  
  
He was proved correct. A small team of Aurors led by Remus searched the room briefly, checking the bookshelves but no-one so much as glanced into the fireplace.  
  
As the hours wore on Draco grew curious as to who was there. Cautiously he crept out of the fireplace which fortunately was not in line with the door and peered out with one eye. From the doorway, he suddenly recognized Hermione who happened to be just opposite and quickly ducked back inside before he was seen. As the bookshelves had been searched already, he hid behind the largest one.  
  
Suddenly he heard her soft voice, "I know you're here so you may as well come out."  
  
With a feeling of inevitability, he stepped tiredly out into the light.  
  
* Scottish term for 'stream' - Cambridge Dictionary ** Based on a speech given by Himmler on 24 May 1945 *** Very loosely based on Masonic initiation rites. Source:  
  
ation.html 


	2. Chapter One, As Children We Are Told

Chapter One  
  
"How much less in them that dwell in houses of clay, whose foundation is in the dust, which are crushed before the moth?" Job 4:19  
  
Dumbledore looked gravely at Draco as Hermione led him out of the Dark Arts library in the Gillamoor camp to meet his old Headmaster. Dumbledore's look was more compassionate than stern however and Draco felt slightly relieved to see this. The Aurors and others working at searching the camp stopped what they were doing and stared at him as he was led through the main chamber by Hermione and Snape. If Draco had not been so numb with shock and exhaustion he would have felt unbearably self-conscious but as it was, all he wanted was for someone else to sort things out for him and he knew Dumbledore could and would.  
  
Hermione explained to Dumbledore what Draco had told her in the Dark Arts library. The old man's kind blue eyes looked into Draco's glazed ones with a gentle gaze, noting the fear beneath the blank numbness. He smiled kindly at the boy. "It's alright, Draco. Everything will be done to help you," he reassured him. The fear at the back of the boy's eyes lessened slightly and some of the tension in his slender body relaxed. He merely nodded in response.  
  
Hermione took him off to one corner and gave him some of the coffee that had been kept brewing for the team as they worked. He sipped it absent- mindedly, a clump of his usually immaculate hair falling over his dirty face as he stared unseeingly into space. Finally he asked in a low voice, "how many? How many were found?" His posture was slumped and his voice flat.  
  
"I don't know," Hermione said honestly, glancing up as Snape stalked by in a swirl of black robes on his way back to the Dark Arts library on an errand for Dumbledore.  
  
Draco noticed her glance and although it was brief, he guessed immediately. "Are you two. you know.?" he asked.  
  
Hermione smiled slightly. "I guess so. It's still too early to tell," she said honestly. Draco merely nodded. He had seen Snape's territorial behaviour in the Dark Arts library earlier when he'd found Hermione in there with him. Draco had no doubt of Snape's intentions and seeing Hermione's constant awareness of Snape's movements around the camp now, he had no doubt of Hermione's feelings either. It was subtle but unmistakable. He continued sipping his hot coffee and allowed his mind to become blissfully blank while he could, and carefully avoided the curious and hostile stares of the team as they worked around him.  
  
It was late once all the rooms in the camp had been gone over one more time and Dumbledore had de-briefed everyone. Draco was more tired than he could ever remember being in his life. Dumbledore took Draco and Hermione's hand, and apparated them back to his office at Hogwarts.  
  
Draco already knew what he had to do. He wanted nothing more to do with his parents. His parents had never abused him and had spoilt him in many ways but their coldness and emotional neglect had left him with very few warm feelings for them. They were strangers to him in many ways and he had scant respect for them. What he had seen that night had been the last straw. Although he did not love his parents, he had desperately wanted their approval and attention. After seeing the Gillamoor camp, a project his parents had surely been involved in, he no longer wanted anything from them at all. He felt horror flood his veins when he thought of what he would have had to involve himself in eventually to win the approval and attention he had once wanted so much.  
  
Nothing he had ever done had really pleased them. He had been a better than average student but that was not enough, he had made the Slytherin Quidditch team but that had not been enough either. He had finally taken the Dark Mark the summer after graduation but it was only the beginning of winning their approval, he had come to realize. In the back of his mind, he cynically wondered if killing Mudbloods rather than merely taunting them would have finally done the trick. He pulled his mind back to what Dumbledore was saying as he was handed a mug of hot, thick soup.  
  
"Now young Draco, how can we help you?" the old wizard was saying, as he settled into his chair again. Snape and Hermione were present too.  
  
"I want to divorce my parents," Draco stated baldly. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Snape dart a narrow-eyed glance at Dumbledore.  
  
"You do not wish to return to your parents?" Dumbledore asked him gravely.  
  
Draco went on to explain what had been in his mind since hearing of the camps that evening for the first time at the Death Eater meeting.  
  
When Dumbledore suggested making Snape his guardian for the few weeks until his eighteenth birthday, he had been amazed to discover that Snape had been filling that role for Hermione for the past few months. The rumours round the school had been that she and Snape had been having an affair in her last year at Hogwarts. When he had seen the two of them tonight, he had assumed the rumours had been correct. Now he realized he'd had the wrong end of the stick all along and felt a bit foolish or rather would have, if there was not so much else on his mind.  
  
He and Snape and Dumbledore went on to discuss the arrangements for another hour or so until Snape noticed that Hermione had fallen asleep in her chair. "With your permission, Headmaster," Snape said, getting up and going over to her.  
  
"Yes, yes. Put her in the room she used in her last weeks at Hogwarts, Severus. She may as well use that tonight," he said as Snape bent over her sleeping form and carefully picked her up without waking her.  
  
Draco was reminded vividly again of the rumours at the end of seventh year of Snape carrying Hermione around the school in the middle of the night in just her nightie. He watched with interest as the tall, lean man carried the girl out of the office, his hawkish face looking into hers with keen- eyed concern. It was odd, Draco thought, to see concern for anyone soften the harsh features of Snape's face. It made him seem suddenly slightly more human, he mused. Not very much more human, he confessed to himself, just slightly so. Frankly, he still felt rather terrified of Snape although (as Hermione had just pointed out herself earlier) he had been a rather obvious teacher's pet in his Potion's classes. He had covered up his fear of the sinister Potions Master with smug bravado and had played up to the teacher's unmistakable favouritism.  
  
Snape was back inside of five minutes. In the meantime, Dumbledore had told him that Draco was to stay at Hogwarts for a few days until the divorce could be arranged. "I'm afraid that your parents are likely to be captured quite quickly now with Voldemort out of the way and you may be asked to testify at their trial. I'm sorry that you may have to be put through an ordeal like that," Dumbledore was saying compassionately, looking him over the top of his glasses at the boy with sympathy. He mused that Draco suddenly looked very young as he sat hunched in the brocade chair, his thin face wan and weary.  
  
"I don't care. I'd rather tell the truth and have it out in the open. I'm tired of lying and hiding," Draco said bitterly. "My parents deserve to go to Azkaban and if I hadn't defected tonight after seeing what I saw, then I'd deserve to go there too," he added harshly, his pale eyes averted and staring unseeingly into the fire.  
  
"You sound just like Snape the night he defected," Dumbledore said with a feint smile, his blue eyes flicking over to the sombre teacher sprawled tiredly in another chair.  
  
Draco's gaze also flicked over to Snape, curiosity suddenly evident in the boy's colourless eyes. He suddenly realized there was a whole side to Snape that he knew nothing about. In fact, he was beginning to get the idea that he knew absolutely nothing about the man at all.  
  
"For now you need sleep and rest. I'll organize things for you in the morning, including Snape's guardianship. For now, I'll show you to your temporary room. I suspect that once your parents are convicted, as they surely will be, you will inherit the Malfoy estate as soon as you turn eighteen," he said, getting up and leading Draco to the door of the office.  
  
A peculiar expression crossed Draco's face. He had not even thought of what would happen to the estate should his parents be caught and convicted. He was unsure of how he felt about returning to the Malfoy estate, even without his parent's presence there. He knew the place inside out as he had grown up there and his parents had groomed him to take over one day. He even knew how to get into the Dark Arts room under the Manor, although he had never been allowed in there. He didn't think he could bear to live there, with the way his parents had run the household but perhaps once he was the owner he could make changes to make it livable for himself. His pale brows drew together in a frown, there was too much to think about but he was too tired to think.  
  
Dumbledore had led him down a short passage after they passed through a wall outside his office. He opened a thick oak door, beautifully carved with a pattern of leaves around the border and led him inside. "This is your room for now. You have a private bathroom next door. Here is some sleeping potion should you need it," he added, handing Draco a small phial. "Come and see me tomorrow when you're feeling up to it. There are clean clothes in the wardrobe," he added and indicated an oak door set in the wall with the same leaf design. "Oh and don't go exploring in the other rooms in this passage. You don't want to burst in unexpectedly on Hermione now, do you?" he said, his blue eyes twinkling.  
  
Frankly, Draco didn't. He didn't want to talk to anybody or do anything except sleep and once he'd had enough sleep, he wanted to think and make plans for his future. He and Hermione had never been friends, and he didn't want to deal with her hostility at this time in his life. Although, he pondered, she had been very fair-minded to him today in a cautious sort of way and she had had no call to be. If their situations had been reversed, he would have hexed her first and asked questions later but she had given him a chance. He was too shattered to try and puzzle out Hermione's behaviour at that point.  
  
Dumbledore left and Draco went over to the wardrobe to pull out some pajamas. He passed a full-length mirror on the way and he paused to look at himself. He didn't recognize himself. His pale hair was clumped with mud, his face was almost blue-white and he had a cut on his cheekbone. Blood had dried down that side of his face, and it was splattered with mud too. His Death Eater robes had a huge rip in them, and were caked in places with mud and crushed heather. They would have to be thrown out, not that he had any further use for them. He turned his thin arm out slightly and looked at the black Dark Mark on the delicate, veined skin of his inner forearm. He knew that would be there until either he or Voldemort died. His short nails had mud under them and his slender, almost boney hands were filthy. He stared into his own narrow, pointed face for a long time and wondered who the hell he was.  
  
Finally he shuffled back to the huge, four poster bed in the middle of the room and fell into it. He felt too discouraged and numb to even bother bathing or changing. Staring blankly ahead of him, his eyes gradually closed and he fell asleep.  
  
* * *  
  
"Master Draco! You is made the bed filthy! Dobby will have to strip the whole bed and wash the sheets today!" a squeaky voice was saying with obvious dismay. "Why didn't Master Draco have a bath? Master Draco has a whole bathroom to himself but he makes the bed filthy for Dobby to clean," the annoying voice continued.  
  
Draco opened one eye and peered at the floor next to him. There stood a familiar House Elf wringing its small hands. "Dobby?" he muttered disbelievingly.  
  
"Oh yes, Master Draco. Wasn't you knowing that I nows work for Dumbledore here at Hogwarts?" he asked, going over and fetching a silver tray from a nearby table under the leaded window.  
  
"Er. no," Draco said truthfully and squinted at the summer sunlight coming through the window.  
  
Dobby was wearing a sailor's cap, a pink and purple striped bowtie that gave Draco a headache just to look at, an orange velvet vest and mis- matched socks; one with a zebra skin pattern and one with Daffy Duck on the side - not that Draco knew who Daffy Duck was being a pureblood with no exposure to Muggle pop culture.  
  
"Here is your breakfast, Master Draco. Master Draco must eat up. Dumbledore is telling Dobby that Master Draco has much to do today that is important and needs to eat all his breakfast. Dobby also suggests that Master Draco takes a bath too," the Elf added, wrinkling his long pencil- like nose. "Master Draco smells very bad. Master Draco smells of moors and dead things," he said earnestly.  
  
Draco gave the House Elf a withering look. "Miss Hermione already left hours ago. Is Miss Hermione's eighteenth birthday today. Miss Hermione has a big party with all her friends. This came for you from Miss Hermione just a little while ago," he continued and pulled an owl delivery out of his vest. The owl had arrived a few hours ago but had given up on waiting for Draco to wake up.  
  
Draco was reluctantly forcing some bacon down his throat and more enthusiastically drinking the hot coffee but he pushed the tray off his lap to read the owl.  
  
Draco,  
  
I am pleased to invite you to the Three Broomsticks tonight at 7pm to celebrate my eighteenth birthday with me and my friends.  
  
I would guess that this is going to be a difficult time for you and parties are probably the last thing on your mind. However, I wanted to extend an invitation to you anyway so that you know that you are welcome among new friends.  
  
If you do decide to come, I will ensure that some of my friends take you under their wing and take care of you for the night as I imagine it would be difficult for you to suddenly be thrown in with mostly members of your old rival House - Gryffindor.  
  
If I don't see you there tonight, I'm sure we'll be running into each other at Hogsbridge if not before. Please don't hesitate to call on me should you ever need any help.  
  
Take care, Hermione.  
  
Draco wasn't entirely sure what to make of that invitation. He certainly was not up to mixing with a group of Gryffindors and friends of Gryffindors at this early stage. The thought of mixing with them even in the future felt strange to him. Gryffindors were not like Slytherins. They were affectionate, hot-headed and transparent. He didn't understand them. He was used to the strong alliances, cool temprement and cunning of the Slytherins. As a Slytherin, he wasn't sure that Hermione's invitation did not have a hidden agenda. From a Slytherin, it certainly would have. On the other hand, hidden agendas were not the Gryffindor way.  
  
He shook his head. He didn't have the mental space to deal with these problems now. There would be enough time for it all later. He pushed the parchment away and put the tray back on his lap. The food was cold now and he went off the idea of finishing it.  
  
He pushed the tray away again and climbed out of the massive bed. He pulled fresh robes from the wardrobe and with a sigh, went into the bathroom while Dobby tutted over the state of the bed and began to remove the sheets with a simple spell. 


	3. Chapter Two, I Hid My Soiled Hands

A/N: Special thanks to Gabriele. Without your persistent encouragement, this story would never have seen the light of day. I can't thank you enough for believing in my 'Black Unicorn World'.  
  
Chapter Two "Behold, for I am in distress: my bowels are troubled; mine heart is turned within me; for I have grievously rebelled: abroad the sword bereaveth, at home there is as death." Lamentations 1:20  
  
It took Draco quite awhile to get clean, even in the swimming pool sized bath off his room. He ended up changing the water once, amazed at the amount of the North York moors he still had clinging to his pale skin. He wasn't surprised that no-one had noticed the superficial cut on his cheek, it was covered effectively with splatters of mud.  
  
He used a spicy soap that reminded him vaguely of the sea, and scrubbed his white hair clean of mud and heather and dried blood with a citrus shampoo. He wasn't in the mood to linger and turn on the spa bubblers however, so he got out as soon as the dirt under his fingernails had soaked out.  
  
He dressed quickly and used a drying spell on his longish hair. It didn't take long, because his hair was so fine. He took another look at himself in the mirror before going out. In new robes and clean, he almost looked like his usual self. The purple shadows under his grey eyes and the way the cut on his cheek emphasised his unnatural pallor gave away the stress of the past 48 hours however. He rubbed one eye with the heel of his hand and sighed, closing his eyes briefly. He knew the worst was still to come and wouldn't end for a long, long time. He didn't want to face it. He just wanted to stand very still and hope it would all go away.  
  
Turning away from the mirror, he walked slowly out of the door towards Dumbledore's office.  
  
Snape was already in Dumbledore's office, waiting for him.  
  
"Ah Draco! Have a cup of tea," Dumbledore said, gesturing to a chair and then pouring out some tea and putting some shortbread on a plate for him. Draco took it politely and sipped it lethargically, unwilling to initiate any conversation himself.  
  
Snape was struck with the constrast between how Hermione had handled the details after her own personal tragedy only a few months ago, and how Draco was now reacting. Hermione had been eager to get the details tied up and things sorted out quickly, wanting to get her responsibilities dealt with and out of the way. Her approach had been sensible, clear-headed and dutiful, if not exactly enthusiastic. Draco seemed unwilling to even talk about the situation he was now in, let alone get the practical necessities underway.  
  
"I will only ask you once more, Draco. Are you sure you wish to divorce your parents? You've had a night to sleep on the decision and it is a serious one," Dumbledore said finally, regarding the boy before him with unusual seriousness. Draco merely nodded. He was not one to take unconsidered decisions and once he made up his mind, he seldom changed it. Dumbledore saw the boy's reluctance to speak more than he had to and did not press him further. "In that case, I will ask Professor McGonagall to get the paperwork underway and owled to the Ministry. This afternoon, we will have to go to the Wizarding Law Courts to get the official documents signed. I suspect that officials at the Ministry will want to see you to gather information on the Death Eaters still at large. Are you prepared to co-operate with the enquiry Draco or would you like me to request that they give you more time to recover from recent events?" he asked kindly.  
  
"No," Draco said immediately, his slim body tensing and his fair brows drawing together in a frown. "No, the sooner the evidence is gathered the quicker the Death Eaters can be caught. I don't want any of them to continue to carry out Voldemort's plans in his absence," he said, urgency evident in his voice and the grey eyes serious.  
  
The old wizard nodded slowly. "I commend you Draco, for your courage in being willing to face these difficult tasks immediately. I'm sure the information being available to the Ministry now rather than later will aid their work enormously and save lives in the process," he said. "Now, we will perform the guardianship spell so that task is out of the way. It won't take long," he added reassuringly, gesturing to both Draco and Snape to approach his desk.  
  
Draco watched with interest as a pale blue arc of light formed between his solar plexus and that of Snape as Dumbledore took their right hands in his and muttered something complicated sounding in Latin. It was over in a matter of minutes and would not dissolve until Draco's eighteenth birthday or so Dumbledore told him.  
  
"With your parents still at large, you will be staying with me at Snape Manor," Snape said to him, once they were seated again. "I will organize for the House Elves to go and collect your belongings from Malfoy Manor early this evening once we are finished with the business over at the Ministry. There are Aurors stationed there at the moment but I'm sure we can get permission to obtain some of your belongings in the meantime. I won't be at Snape Manor very much as I'll be teaching at Hogwarts, of course so I will show you around the Manor and grounds. My House Elves will be at your disposal."  
  
And you'll be spending every night with Hermione, Draco thought with the ghost of a smirk that suddenly made him look more like his usual self than he had for days.  
  
* * *  
  
Draco had lunch in his room, not wanting to mix with the Slytherins down at his old House table. His friends had all left with him the previous school year, of course. His mind drifted to Crabbe and Goyle, and their families. He had no doubt they would be in Azkaban within days. He pushed the roast beef round and round his plate in the rich brown gravy. He had suddenly lost his appetite. He did not love his friends in the same way the incomprehensible Gryffindors seemed to love each other but neither did he want to see his old allies in that hellhole. He suspected that his school mates were as ignorant as he had been of Voldemort's activities with the camp at Gillamoor but they would probably still share their parent's fate. His stomach churned and he regretted eating as much of the meal as he already had. He pushed the tray away and went to stand at the window. From there he could see a Ravenclaw Quidditch practice. He made himself concentrate on the movements of the players so he could gain relief from thinking for a while.  
  
* * *  
  
As soon as they arrived at the Ministry that afternoon, an official called Dumbledore away for a meeting. Meanwhile, Snape took Draco through all the documentation for his divorce. The Wizard lawyer in his expensive, grey, pin-stripped, Arnami robes droned on about the legal implications but Draco tuned him out. He already knew that he would have to find work and support himself through University. He had no idea what kind of work he was fitted for but without his parent's wealth backing him, he had to be independent. He filed that thought away as tomorrow's problem.  
  
Snape made him read every document before he signed it but there was nothing in any of the documentation that disturbed him unduly. He had known instinctively the seriousness of his decision and that there would be difficult consequences that would arise from it.  
  
They were done inside of two hours and the parchments were magically sealed and verified. Just as they finished, Dumbledore joined them looking grave. He led Draco and Snape to a private meeting room. "I have some difficult news Draco," Dumbledore said simply, once they were seated. "Your parents were captured by Aurors just a few hours ago when they tried to return to the Malfoy Manor. They are currently in Azkaban and their case will be heard within the month," he said quietly.  
  
Draco nodded, not looking at either Dumbledore or Snape. He wanted to say something, like he was glad they were where they could not commit any more atrocities but he couldn't bring himself to say it. For everything that they were, they were also still his parents and it did not make him glad that they were soon-to-be-convicted criminals.  
  
"They also searched Malfoy Manor," Dumbledore continued, "and found enough evidence of their Dark Arts activities so your testimony may not be needed to convict them." Draco appreciated Dumbledore's sympathetic and reassuring tone but remained silent, still unable to make himself say anything appropriate. There was a few moments silence. Finally Snape broke it.  
  
"Would you like to go back to Snape Manor now and settle in?" Snape asked Draco. "I take it that the Aurors would like Malfoy Manor kept clear for a few days for further evidence gathering?" Snape added turning to Dumbledore, his deep voice sounding quite emotionless.  
  
Dumbledore nodded. "Yes, they will need a good month to get through such a large estate I would imagine," Dumbledore said mildly.  
  
Draco glanced at his old Potions Professor, a hint of gratitude in the pale eyes. "Yes," he replied simply.  
  
* * *  
  
The House Elves had left some of Draco's belongings in a large suite of guest rooms on the second floor of the guest wing of the Snape Manor. Dumbledore had gained permission from the Aurors for the Elves to gather some of his clothes and his Nimbus 2001 from Malfoy Manor earlier that day.  
  
Snape stalked around his huge home, showing his former student the closest entrance to his suite of rooms and how to get out into the grounds. He had to show him several charms to access certain parts of the grounds and Manor, and also introduced him to the Head House Elf.  
  
"You have free rein here to go where you please on the estate and within the Manor. The only thing I ask is that if you encounter my study, please don't interfere with any experiments currently in process. They are potentially dangerous. There may be times when I am here over the next month or so while you are in residence but they will be rare," Snape said once the tour was over. Snape debated whether or not to mention that Hermione may also visit the Snape Manor occasionally but at that point, he didn't know whether or not that would be the case. He decided to leave that detail out for the time being. "If you need anything, see my Head House Elf. If he can't help you, just owl me at Hogwarts," Snape said finally.  
  
It was already late and well past dinner time by the time Snape left the boy to settle into his rooms. The House Elves had left a tray of food in his personal sitting room, magically kept hot for him. He made himself eat it, knowing it would make him feel better afterwards but it tasted like sawdust.  
  
He glanced at the clock in the room. It was around 10pm. He wondered if Snape had rushed off to Hermione's birthday party - the one he himself had been invited to only that day. This time he smirked outright then wrinkled his long, narrow nose briefly at the thought of Hermione and Snape together. It was a place his imagination did not really want to go and he left off thinking about it.  
  
His parents came unbidden to his mind. He wondered what kind of night they were having at Azkaban. He didn't want to think about that either and his mind shied away from it when he tried to envisage it. He guessed it would be in all the wizarding papers tomorrow and he made a note to ask the House Elves for a copy in the morning. He speculated about who else may have been caught for a while but suddenly found himself yawning.  
  
With another glance at the clock, he went to find some pajamas amongst his belongings and headed for his private bathroom. 


	4. Chapter Three, You Know You Love Him If ...

Thanks to Silvaerina for the idea and information on the ljosalfar.  
  
Chapter Three "that they should become a desolation and a curse" 2 Kings 22:19  
  
"Malfoys Captured" read the headlines the next morning. Draco's thin lips compressed as he read on. From what the article said, it looked like most of the main families within the Death Eater ranks had been taken the previous day by the teams of Aurors. It was typical of the newspapers to headline the Malfoys, they were the biggest fishes in the Death Eater pond. Crabbe and Goyle's parents were in Azkaban as was Crabbe himself. Goyle had escaped imprisonment because like Draco, he had not yet turned eighteen.  
  
He shook his fair head as he folded up the newspaper again. The Slytherin House had been decimated by this recent round of arrests. He estimated that approximately one in every five Slytherin families had been taken into Azkaban yesterday. Their children at Hogwarts, too young to be arrested, would be left under the care of guardians and would likely have no-where to go at school holidays. It was unlikely that any of their parents would be released. Draco knew that every family that had been captured yesterday had belonged to the Death Eater ranks and that the evidence would be easy enough for the determined Aurors to ferret out. He wondered bitterly how long it would take the Slytherin House to recover its pride and dignity, and recover from its most recent taint. He was glad he was no longer at Hogwarts to deal with the scorn from the other Houses.  
  
"No dear, he's a Malfoy. You can tell from that extraordinary colouring," Draco heard a voice saying. It sounded so much like Snape that he looked around, expecting to see the tall, thin professor hanging around like a great, black bat. He was amazed to find himself still alone in the large dining hall.  
  
"He looks like a ljosalfar," a woman's voice said. Draco looked around again. He was sure that was Hermione's voice.  
  
"A what?" Snape's voice said.  
  
"A ljosalfar. A light Elf. They're Norse, dear," Hermione's voice explained.  
  
"He doesn't emit any light," the Snape voice said.  
  
"No but he does look rather like them, doesn't he?" the Hermione voice replied.  
  
Draco located where the voices were coming from. It was a painting near where he was sitting. It was of a ruined Scottish castle and the two were in the foreground. It was obviously not their home canvas, they had come into the dining room to stare at him. Draco did a double take when he saw them.  
  
"Professor Snape? Hermione?" Draco said, getting up to examine them more closely.  
  
"No, no dear. I'm Hermatica and this is Severus-the-first, Professor Snape's ancestor," the woman who looked like Hermione said.  
  
"Are you Hermione's ancestor?" Draco asked curiously, looking closely at Hermatica.  
  
"I don't believe so but who would know?" Hermatica said with a shrug. "She may be distantly related to my family."  
  
"That's eerie," Draco muttered, his pale face wary.  
  
"Are you a Malfoy?" Severus-the-first asked bluntly, staring haughtily down his hawkish nose at the boy.  
  
Draco was reminded powerfully of Professor Snape. The two could be twins. "Yes," he replied, his face carefully expressionless and his voice cool.  
  
"I thought so. Why are you here and not at Malfoy Manor?" Severus-the- first asked rudely.  
  
"Professor Snape is my guardian for the time being. My home has been taken over by Aurors," he added, a touch of bitterness in his young voice.  
  
"He's being doing rather a lot of that lately," Hermatica remarked to Severus-the-first.  
  
"His last ward was prettier," Severus-the-first remarked flatly.  
  
"I'm not so sure about that," Hermatica said, smiling kindly at Draco but looking amused too.  
  
Draco wasn't sure whether to be more indignant about being compared to Hermione or about being thought 'pretty' by Hermatica. He settled for looking unimpressed.  
  
"Why are there Aurors all over Malfoy Manor?" Severus-the-first demanded.  
  
"Haven't you heard the news?" Draco said indolently. He fetched the newspaper from the table and passed it into the painting for them to read.  
  
"Voldemort has been defeated!" Severus-the-first said, his deep-set eyes gleaming with satisfaction as he quickly scanned the article. "It doesn't say how though," he added, looking questioningly at Draco.  
  
"Snape did it. He used the Avada Kevarda on him," Draco said bluntly.  
  
Hermatica and Severus-the-first smiled at each other. "I knew he had it in him. He's a true Snape!" Hermatica said proudly.  
  
"He's finally redeemed the family name," Severus-the-first said, looking gratified.  
  
"There was a black unicorn there too," Draco said, "but I don't know where it came from. One minute, Voldemort was about to murder Hermione and then when I looked again there was a magnificent black unicorn," Draco murmured, almost to himself. He had not seen Hermione transform and still had not guessed her secret.  
  
"Hermione nearly got murdered!" Hermatica gasped. "Thank heavens that Severus was there," she added.  
  
"Black unicorn, you say?" Severus-the-first frowned. "That's very odd. Where would such a rare creature have come from on the North York Moors?" he asked, having gotten some sketchy details from the article.  
  
"I don't know," Draco said seriously, his gaze far away. "But it was there."  
  
* * *  
  
Draco did not see Snape for 3 full days. Later he found out that neither he nor Hermione were seen for the whole of that time. With all the confusion of those few days, classes had been suspended at Hogwarts as the teachers were often tied up with Ministry business so fortunately, Snape being missing was not noticed by the students.  
  
Draco had found himself being grilled by Severus-the-first who he found every bit as intimidating as Professor Snape. Severus-the-first had questioned his loyalties, the extent of his involvement with the Death Eaters and his future plans. It was obvious the Snape patriarch did not hold a terribly high opinion of the Malfoys, considering them Death Eater filth and nothing more. This rather surprised Draco as the recent generations of Snapes had been Death Eaters too. It was obvious that this fact was extremely distasteful to this particular ancestor.  
  
Draco filled his time over these few days between University lectures by taking his Nimbus 2001 out to the grounds and getting the a House Elf to peg golf balls into the air for him to chase. He would have practiced with a proper snitch but he didn't want to risk losing his when he didn't know when he would be able to afford another one.  
  
He had received an owl on his first morning at Snape Manor from Dumbledore advising him not to make any plans at this stage as he may suddenly find himself with the responsibility of Malfoy Manor if his parents were convicted. Draco decided that if that happened, he would defer his University studies for a semester while he took over the reins of the Malfoy fortune. However, things were still up in the air at that point.  
  
The only time Draco felt even slightly normal was when he was flying fast as a bullet over the Snape estate grounds, chasing golf balls. The warm, late summer sunshine penetrated his Quidditch practice robes and glinted off his pale hair. The cool, thin air so high off the ground raked through his robes and blew his long hair off his face. He didn't want to come down.  
  
* * *  
  
Finally Snape came back to the Manor with news for Draco. He would not be required to testify against his parents, the Malfoy Manor had yielded more than enough evidence to convict them in just those few days. However, he would be asked to answer questions about Death Eater activities in the future.  
  
"When is their trial?" Draco asked quietly, his pale grey eyes lowered and his angular face tense.  
  
Snape examined the boy carefully, his dark eyes narrowed as he noted the even more pronounced hollows in his cheeks. "In just a few days. There was enough evidence to bring it forward," Snape replied, his tone carefully neutral.  
  
"I'd like to see the trial but I don't want my parents to see me there," Draco muttered, his large white hands entwined loosely in his lap as they sat in front of the fireplace in the late afternoon.  
  
"That can be arranged," Snape said smoothly. "You know that they had to be notified when you divorced them," he added carefully.  
  
Draco glanced up to meet his old Potion Master's glittering eyes. "Yes," he replied briefly. "Will they use the veritaserum on them?"  
  
"Yes, they always do with Death Eater trials," Snape replied quietly.  
  
Draco nodded. "Good," was all he said.  
  
Snape examined his withdrawn former pupil. He had always favoured him because he knew the boy had had a very similar experience in life to himself. Their families had been extraordinarily similar. However, he was beginning to realize that Draco was very different to himself in terms of personality. He himself had always been an intense, over-sensitive and passionate person that early in life had been warped to bitterness and used cruel sarcasm to keep others away. Draco was far more cool. They were both self-sufficient, reserved, calculating and shrewd otherwise they would not have both been Slytherins. However, Draco seemed to have ice in his veins at times and merely withdrew into himself rather than be bitter or sarcastic.  
  
* * *  
  
Draco watched the papers for the next few days until his parent's trial. By the end of the first week after Voldemort's defeat, he calculated that the Aurors had got them all. He was shocked at how efficient the Aurors were. His parents had always intimated that the Ministry Aurors were inefficient and stupid. Draco wondered idly about how many other things his parents had been wrong about.  
  
The day of his parent's trial, Draco waited at the Snape Manor for Snape to collect him. At 8.30am Professor Snape arrived and they floo-ed to the Wizarding Law Courts. "You will be in a private viewing room. Your parents won't be able to see you there, in fact they will have no idea that these private viewing rooms even exist. Are you sure you wish to be present?" Snape asked as they walked along the long, marble corridors of the Court building.  
  
"Yes," Draco replied shortly, having to stretch his long legs to keep up with the Potions Master.  
  
Snape left him in a small room that was comfortably furnished with a fireplace, plush chairs, rich carpets and a table with hot tea waiting for him on it. One wall had a large window in it. Looking through it, Draco could see down into the courtroom. He was obviously at least in a second storey room and the court itself was more than one storey high. He suspected that the window could not be seen in the Court room at all. A charm would make it look like the wall was merely smooth stone all the way to the ceiling. He wondered how many other private viewing rooms were positioned around the Court room.  
  
One either side of a central area, seats rose arena style around the perimeter. At one end was the judges bench and in the centre, several chairs were lined up. The room looked rather stark. The seats were padded and comfortable looking but the room was all black and grey with no paintings or decoration of any kind. The walls and floor were smooth stone and cold looking, and the judge's bench was plain oak.  
  
Draco poured himself a cup of tea simply to kill time. The trial would start at 9am sharp but it was now only 8.45am. He drank it standing up, looking down into the foreboding Court room. He stood very still, apart from taking the occasional sip of the hot tea.  
  
By the time he'd had two cups, people began to file into the Court room. The galleries filled quickly, then came the jury and then the judge herself. Finally, his parents were brought in surrounded by Aurors. They obviously had restraining charms put on them but not unduly strong ones. Draco could not take his eyes off his parent's faces. Lucius had seemed to age ten years in one week but although his face was haggard, he was still immaculately presented and his cold eyes gleamed contemptuously as they raked the galleries. Narcissa was beautifully groomed and still affected languor and boredom even as a prisoner. She too looked older, however.  
  
The judge quickly brought the proceedings to order and they spent the morning hearing from the Aurors who had been sifting through the Malfoy Manor for the previous week. Draco couldn't believe how much they had found. They would have had to dismantle an enormous amount of powerful and dangerous charms to even reach most of the evidence. He could tell from his parent's faces that they couldn't quite believe what the Aurors had managed to find so quickly either. The evidence was there however. There was exhibit after exhibit of Dark Arts books and instruments, and Death Eater documents and accoutrements. There could be no doubt what the pair had been involved in.  
  
When the Court recessed for lunch, Draco already knew his parents had no chance. They would be sentenced to the Dementor's Kiss without a doubt and spend the rest of their soul-less days in Azkaban. He sat very still for the entire hour of the lunch recess, barely blinking. The silver tray of lunch that appeared on the table was left untouched. He couldn't sort out his feelings, in fact he could barely feel at all at that point. Memories played themselves out as his vision turned inwards. He remembered his parents at different times as he was growing up. He was hoping some positive memories would surface but none did. All his memories of his parents were tinged with coldness and a sense of dissatisfaction with himself as their heir. He knew deep down that this would be the last time he would see his parents with souls, still alive in any real sense of the word. He wanted to find a good reason to regret their loss but he couldn't - not one. That was what hurt, that was what made him bite his lip until it bled as he sat there. He couldn't regret their loss because they had never really been there at all, not as parents should. In fact, their being sentenced to Azkaban would merely set him free of their harsh regime and expectations. If he had anything to mourn, it was that he now would never be able to redeem the parenting he should have had. That chance, slim as it was, was lost forever. 


	5. Chapter Four, So You Bargain With the De...

Chapter Four "How are they brought into desolation, as in a moment they are utterly consumed with terrors." Psalms 73:19  
  
The remainder of the trial passed as Draco suspected. Witnesses were called but not much testimony was needed. Snape took the stand at one stage and testified that as a spy in the Death Eater's ranks working for Dumbledore, he had often dealt with Malfoy on Death Eater business. However, the Malfoys had been part of the inner circle which Snape had not been and so Snape could not offer proof of their involvement in the Gillamoor Camp project. In order to obtain this, the veritaserum had been put on both Lucius and Narcissa.  
  
Draco's face had grown increasingly pale and drawn as the questioning under the truth charm went on. Details of Voldemort's activities at Gillamoor made Draco glad he had not eaten at all that day. He pressed shaking fingers into his eyes and merely listened, unable to watch as the words he was hearing came out of his parent's mouths. When the prosecution asked about Voldemort's experiments on the Muggle-born prisoners, Draco listened with horror as his parents recited a litany of tortures that they had personally inflicted. Draco realized that not only had his parents known about the activities at Gillamoor, they had participated in the atrocities too.  
  
The details made Draco's eyes water. He felt sick. The final straw was the images the Aurors magically projected of the victims that had been found at Gillamoor the day after Voldemort had been defeated. Had it been only just over a week ago, Draco wondered dazedly? There were images of the man he had seen close up in one of the cages. He was lying on his back on a stretcher ready to go to the Wizarding hospital. Draco could count all of his bones.  
  
The jury's decision was swift. It took them barely five minutes to come back with the verdict. The vote was unanimous - guilty as charged. The judge sentenced them to the Dementor's Kiss and Azkaban for the term of their natural life.  
  
The light in the Court room dimmed as two Dementors swept into the room. The pompous, condescending and supercilious sneers were suddenly missing from Lucius and Narcissa's face. For the first time in Draco's life, he saw them look afraid. Lucius' eyes darted around the room as though looking for Voldemort to suddenly appear and save them. Narcissa merely looked white and faint.  
  
The prisoners were led away by the Dementors and a group of Aurors. "Voldemort will be back!" Lucius hissed furiously at the gallery as he left. "Avada Kedavra can't kill him and when he does come back, he will avenge us and all the Death Eaters you persecute!" He glared one last time at Dumbledore who was sitting in the back corner of the gallery. The old wizard met this glare calmly and without so much as flickering an eyelash.  
  
Draco sat very still in his chair, feeling as though he had just been battered for hours. Emotionally, he felt both numb as well as black and blue. His eyes were still closed and he was breathing carefully when he heard a knock on the door and it opened. He was expecting Snape but it was actually Dumbledore.  
  
"It was either very brave or very foolish to put yourself through that Draco and I'm not sure which it is," the old wizard commented kindly as he came in.  
  
"Both, I suspect," Draco said quietly.  
  
"Yes. I think you had best go back to Snape Manor now and try and rest. I suspect you're feeling rather battered at the moment," Dumbledore suggested, his blue eyes sparkling down at his former pupil.  
  
Draco was amazed that Dumbledore had so accurately guessed his thoughts. "Yes," he agreed faintly, getting up and feeling surprised at how cramped his muscles were after sitting all day.  
  
Dumbledore gave him some floo powder from an ornamental oriental jar on top of the fireplace mantel and saw him off. Draco did not see the grave look on his old Headmaster's face as he left in a whoosh of green fire.  
  
* * *  
  
Snape came to see him mid-morning the next day. "You realize now that your parent's sentence has been carried out that you are the heir to the Malfoy fortune," he said, pacing around the sitting room with his robes swirling around him.  
  
Draco watched this energetic performance from an armchair in front of the fireplace. No, he realized, he hadn't actually thought about it at all since he got back from the trial. He hadn't been able to think about anything but the images of the prisoners and the descriptions his parents had given of their roles in the atrocities at Gillamoor; that and what his parents would look like without their souls. Those thoughts had paraded through his head all night and he'd woken up with purple shadows under his eyes, having slept for less than an hour all night.  
  
"There is paperwork with the Court-appointed lawyer that needs to be signed as soon as possible. I'm sorry Draco but that means today," Snape continued, glancing at the boy from under his heavy black brows.  
  
Draco merely nodded. "That's fine," he said calmly. "Can I go now? Might as well get it over with. There are other things I'll need to take care of now," he added.  
  
Snape nodded. "What other things?" he asked as he took out some floo powder out of the jar on the mantel.  
  
"I will have to defer University for a semester. With the Ministry wanting information from me and with taking over the estate, I don't think I can handle University as well," he explained coolly.  
  
Snape's black eyes darted over the boy's face. He merely nodded again, "that sounds sensible," he said bluntly and they flooed over to the Courts once more.  
  
By the time Draco had finished with the paperwork with the lawyer and had seen the University Dean about deferring, it was dinner time. He had eaten by himself every night at the Snape Manor and he knew that would not change. Snape was not about to give up his evenings with Hermione for the sake of his company. Snape was a very conscientious guardian but Draco had not been expecting any emotional support and it was just as well as none was forthcoming. He wasn't even sure that he wanted Snape's emotional support. The man still intimidated him and the less he had to do with him, the better as far as Draco was concerned.  
  
Severus-the-first and Hermatica had been good company though, and usually came into the dining room while he was eating or if he was in a sitting room on his own. They didn't always talk to him although mostly they did, catching up on the news about the Death Eater trials.  
  
As he ate rather unenthusiastically that evening, he thought over what the lawyer had told him. He could move back into the Malfoy estate at any time now that the paperwork was taken care of. He would certainly never need to worry about money again. He decided to go back to the Manor tomorrow. He would miss Severus-the-first and Hermatica but that was a minor consideration. He had a lot of plans in the back of his mind for his own estate and he wanted to get moving on them immediately.  
  
* * *  
  
"He's not sleeping and he's not eating very well either," Snape said, his deep voice gravelly and unusually relaxed as he sat in front of the fire at Hermione's house. The house was currently under contract and she would be moving to a cottage at Hogsborough, a suburb on the outskirts of Hogsmeade, within the month. For the time being, Snape was apparating to her house each evening from Hogwarts.  
  
"How can you tell?" Hermione asked, not adding the obvious fact that Snape never spent any time at Snape Manor in order to see Draco regularly.  
  
"I took him up to the Courts today to get the paperwork for his inheritance taken care of. He's got purple shadows under his eyes, as dark as bruises. He also looks thinner and he wasn't exactly robust to begin with," Snape explained, his lips thinning as he recalled it. "He saw his parent's trial and sentencing, you know," he added quietly.  
  
Hermione's eyes grew wide. "He didn't." she breathed, feeling shocked that he would even be allowed to put himself through that. "Why was it allowed?" she demanded.  
  
"Dumbledore thought it was important for Draco to know the full truth about his parents and for him to get a sense of closure. He knew that Draco would never see his parents again after the trial. I think he wanted the boy to know exactly why," Snape said meditatively.  
  
"It sounds cruel to me," Hermione murmured, shaking her dark head and still looking shocked.  
  
"His life has been cruel, Hermione," Snape replied.  
  
"Seems to be going around," Hermione commented, her grey eyes caressing Snape's face as she recalled the sketchy details she knew about his own upbringing.  
  
"Quite," he agreed, thinking about Hermione and Harry's families too.  
  
"Poor, miserable shit," Hermione commented, still thinking of Draco.  
  
"Hermione!" Snape objected. "How are you supposed to help me by making friends with the boy if you think of him like that?" he asked sternly.  
  
"Hey, he didn't call you 'Mudblood' for seven years," Hermione said pointedly.  
  
"That kind of prejudice is easy enough to fall into taking into account his up-bringing," Snape said, almost self-defensively.  
  
"Be that as it may, I still didn't have to like it. I did invite him to my eighteenth birthday party, you know," Hermione said.  
  
"Did he go?" Snape asked with interest. He hadn't known Hermione had invited him.  
  
"Did you see him there?" she asked.  
  
Snape smiled thinly. "I wasn't exactly looking for him when I arrived. I had other things on my mind," he said, his deep-set eyes narrowing meaningfully as he looked at her.  
  
"Yes, I had noticed," she replied, smiling then looking away shyly. The memory of those few days and nights was still fresh enough in her mind to make her feel self-conscious. Then she was annoyed with herself for being embarrassed.  
  
Snape smirked to himself when he saw her glance away but it made him feel oddly affectionate too. He reached out one hand and took hers, gently playing with her fingers.  
  
"Well, he didn't go to the party. I imagine a Gryffindor do was all too much at that point. In fact, I'm not sure he will ever be able to get over his Gryffindor prejudices in order to mix with my friends," she said, recovering her poise quickly. "Think about it - Harry Potter! He hates Harry and always has and if he's going to be my friend, he's going to have to be Harry's friend too," Hermione said flatly.  
  
A sneer flickered across Snape's face at the mention of Harry. He didn't like him either but he was prepared to tolerate him for Hermione's sake. "You'll have to find a way around that," Snape said smoothly but he suddenly seemed tired of talking about Draco. "Why are you sitting all the way over there in that chair when you could be sitting here?" he asked, indicating his own.  
  
Hermione smiled, got up and went and sat in his lap twisting her arms around Snape's neck and lifting her face for his kiss. 


	6. Chapter Five, So Please Be Careful With ...

Chapter Five  
  
"To him that is afflicted pity should be shewed from his friend" Job 6:14  
  
It felt odd to be back at his home, Draco acknowledged. The oddest part of it was that it was now completely under his control. He could do whatever he wanted with it. He could put sticky fingerprints on the black obsidian tabletops if he wanted to, something strictly forbidden since he was a child. He could run up and down the corridors yelling, something else previously forbidden. He could get rid of the ugly, modern chrome and white leather furniture - something he definitely intended to do.  
  
During his first couple of days back at the Manor, Draco received an owl from Hermione.  
  
Draco,  
  
I hope you are settling back into your home. Severus tells me that you have deferred University for a semester which is why no-one has been you around campus for the past few days, I guess.  
  
If you ever need any help with anything or just want to hang out, I have included my current address plus the address I am moving to in a few weeks with this owl.  
  
In the meantime, why don't you come over for lunch on Thursday? I don't have lectures that afternoon so we could just watch some movies or something.  
  
Let me know if you can make it.  
  
Hermione.  
  
'Severus', he thought? She calls him 'Severus' already? Draco tried to imagine calling Professor Snape anything other than Professor Snape and failed utterly. He shook his head and then considered the invitation. He could not imagine sitting across a table from a girl he had called a 'Mudblood' for seven years and politely having a meal, let alone watching something called a 'movie' - whatever that was.  
  
He guessed Professor Snape had put her up to it, a case of being guided into making the 'right' sort of new friends. He sighed impatiently. He was not a Gryffindor and would never think or behave like one, no matter how many Gryffindor friends he may try to make. On the other hand, Hermione would know all sorts of interesting news that he wouldn't. She got out and mixed with a wide circle of people at University as well as having access to information via Snape that only Hogwarts teachers would have. He might learn a lot of interesting information that he otherwise wouldn't hear.  
  
If the lunch was awkward and awful he could always excuse himself straight after the meal and say he had business to take care of on the estate, he reasoned to himself. With another sigh, he picked up a quill to write an immaculately polite thank you and acceptance on the family's informal letterhead.  
  
At the same time, he wrote a letter to the Ministry on the formal green, black and silver Malfoy letterhead. He was asking for help in dismantling the Dark Arts room under the Manor. He knew by getting the Ministry involved, that it would be in all the papers but it couldn't be helped. It was a delicate job and needed professionals. He was not even eighteen, let alone an experienced specialist Auror in that area. He addressed it to the Department of Dark Magic Control with a cynical and wry look on his face. His father had had a friend in that department who tipped him off every time there were going to be raids. The Malfoys were never caught although everyone knew perfectly well that they were one of the worst offenders. The informant had been caught recently along with all the other Death Eaters but even if he hadn't, Draco wanted that stuff out of the Malfoy estate. He didn't want anyone to be able to use it for Voldemort's purposes again.  
  
He recalled how he had been fascinated by the Dark Arts all his life and had even wanted to transfer to Durmstrang to be able to study it. His mother had been against it as it would have taken Draco away from building necessary alliances with the other children at Hogwarts destined to be Death Eaters. Having seen the ends to which the sinisterly beautiful Dark Arts had been put by the Death Eaters at Gillamoor, Draco found he had lost his taste for it. Far from being fascinating, glamorous and rather beautiful, it had only produced results that were grotesque, depressing and horrifying. The mystery and thrill of the Dark Arts had been lost to Draco for good in the face of the mundane, stark quality of murder.  
  
* * *  
  
Draco had a reply from the Ministry that very afternoon. They would be sending in a special team from the beginning of next week. Until then, he was asked to leave the protective charms in place but change the passwords. Draco knew that was a simple enough thing to do and did so as soon as he received the owl.  
  
Thursday rolled around quickly enough. He had spent a few days directing his House Elves in moving all the ugly modern furniture out of the main parts of the house and bringing all the antiques out of storage where his parents had put it years ago. Some of it had to be restored and Draco commissioned specialist tradewizards to do it. The modern furniture he donated to charity wondering if even the poor would want the hideous, tasteless stuff.  
  
It was a huge job and would take several months but at least some of the main rooms in the Manor were done in those few days. At 12.25pm exactly he apparated to Hermione's Muggle home. "Oh, you're punctual! How lovely," Hermione sang out from the kitchen when he announced himself from the living room. "I'm in the kitchen," she added rather unnecessarily.  
  
She came out to meet him smiling. Her thick hair was pulled back and her face was clean of make-up. She looked very relaxed and pleased to see him. "I'm so glad you accepted my invitation. I imagine it must feel rather awkward to be mixing with old enemies," she teased gently, her grey eyes warm.  
  
Draco relaxed. She had not pretended that there had never been enmity between them but she was not resentful either. By acknowledging the wall between them, she had somehow destroyed it.  
  
"Yes," he said slowly. "It does feel odd," he admitted, putting his beautifully cut and expensive looking traveling cloak over a chair. As he was going to a Muggle home, he did not wear robes but rather an elegant pair of grey trousers and a white tailored shirt. Hermione thought he looked rather like David Bowie in his 'Thin White Duke' days. Of course, Draco would have no idea who David Bowie even was so there was no point mentioning it.  
  
"I wasn't really sure what you liked to eat so I just did some home made pizza," Hermione said cheerfully, bustling back into the kitchen. Draco followed and leaned against a counter, watching her as she checked the oven.  
  
"Can I have a tour later?" he asked. "I've never been in a Muggle home," he added, looking around all the strange appliances in the kitchen.  
  
"Of course," she said, glancing over with a smile. He looked rather uncomfortable, Hermione thought. He was standing with his arms crossed and his legs crossed at the ankle. Later she was to learn that Draco usually looked like that and he wasn't really uncomfortable at all, just being his usual reserved self. It would take Hermione a long time to get used to the difference between Draco's detachment and her Gryffindor friends' vivacious openness.  
  
Lunch turned out to be easier than Draco had anticipated. Hermione was a remarkably easy person to be with, he realized. Her native Gryffindor frankness meant he never had to manipulate information out of her. If he wanted to know something, he only had to ask outright and she would tell him as much as she knew. Conversations with other Slytherins could be more like fencing matches but Hermione was effortless to talk to. She seemed to have no agenda apart from making him feel relaxed and welcome.  
  
"Did you know that Harry was given the Merlin Award, First Class when he graduated from Hogwarts? Severus is going to be given one now too," Hermione said, halfway through lunch. Draco nearly choked on some mozzarella cheese.  
  
"No, I didn't know," he said with admirable politeness, once he'd taken a sip of Cola.  
  
"Hmm. And Harry has been asked to train with the national Quidditch team for the World Cup next year," she went on happily.  
  
Draco merely nodded. He had heard about that, it had been in all the papers. He himself had been approached by the Kent Knights to be a seeker after Harry had been signed to the Chudley Canons but his parents had looked down their long noses at him and informed him that no son of theirs' was going to be a professional sports star when he had the brains to go on to University. So, he had turned the Knights down reluctantly. In his heart of hearts, he agreed with his parents. It wasn't appropriate for a Malfoy to make a living playing Quidditch, - that was for society's climbers, he thought with the arrogance of old money.  
  
From Hermione he found out how all the ex-Hogwarts students were doing at University. He found out that Ron had gone on to the Auror's Academy and that Harry was playing Quidditch full-time for an almost ridiculous amount of money. He also found out what everyone's major was over at Hogsbridge.  
  
Once they had finished up with summer berry ice cream, Hermione looked at him with a suddenly serious expression. "Severus tells me that you went to your parent's trial," she said quietly, looking him in the eye.  
  
He nodded and glanced away. "I just viewed it from a private room. I didn't attend in the galleries. I didn't want them to know I was there," he replied, after clearing his throat.  
  
"That was very brave but it must have been hard. Are you sleeping okay? You've got big shadows around your eyes," she asked gently.  
  
His mouth tightened. "I'll be fine. I wasn't expecting this to be an easy time," he said shortly.  
  
"No. Well, I don't want to pry but if you ever need someone to talk to I'm here, okay?" she said kindly. He just nodded, not looking at her. "Have you ever seen a movie?" she asked, changing the subject to lighten the atmosphere.  
  
He looked up at her again. "No. What is it?" he asked curiously, glad of the change of topic.  
  
"Well, it's a bit like a stage play but it's pre-recorded - it works a bit like a penseive," she explained. "What kinds of stories do you like?" she asked as she got up and led him back to the sitting room.  
  
He thought for a minute. "I like mysteries and action stories," he said finally.  
  
"Okay, we'll put on Sherlock Holmes - The Hounds of the Baskervilles. That has mystery and a bit of action. It's also a bit of a classic," she said going and fiddling around with something that looked like a black box with a dark glass front.  
  
Draco's eyes widened when the picture came onto the screen and the opening score started. He had never seen anything like it. It was like you were really almost there inside the story. It was far superior to any stage play. He didn't take his eyes off the screen for the entire movie. Hermione glanced at him every now and then, and smiled to herself. If nothing else, this new experience had taken his mind off his problems for a couple of hours.  
  
When the movie had ended, Hermione took him on the promised tour of the house. She showed him how electricity worked and what all the different appliances were for. He was utterly fascinated. "I didn't know Muggles were so ingenious. They cope very well without magic really," he observed, looking rather subdued.  
  
Hermione realized that Draco was probably remembering all the disparaging things he had heard from his parents growing up about Muggles and their inferiority. Now he was being forced to confront the truth that Muggles were really rather clever and well-adjusted to their magic-less state.  
  
"I think wizards and witches have it far easier that Muggles," Hermione commented. "A lot of our problems can be solved by simply knowing the right spell or charm. It's harder for Muggles to come up with solutions to their problems, they have to be smarter."  
  
Draco was quiet. He glanced up at the clock on the sitting room wall. It was 4.30pm already. His eyes widened, he'd been there for hours! "Well, it's getting late and I need to get back to the Manor," he said courteously. "Thank you for lunch and for showing me the movie."  
  
Hermione smiled. He was so formal! She knew it was simply his good breeding but she was used to her friends inviting themselves over at a moment's notice, staying all day, and eating her out of house and home without so much as a thought. "You're very welcome and I do mean that - you're welcome to come over whenever you like and just hang out," she said with a warm smile.  
  
"Thank you," he said formally, picking up his cloak again and with a last nod, he apparated back to the Manor.  
  
He spent that evening reading the last few days worth of newspapers as he had not had a chance to what with organizing the re-arranging of the furnishings. His parent's trial was the headline for three days running. Fortunately the papers had not gotten the story that he had viewed the trial. He read the description of his parent's sentence with his blood drumming in his ears. They had gone into detail of what the Dementor's Kiss did to the recipient and the conditions at Azkaban. The Malfoy name had been dragged through so much mud over the course of his parent's arrest and trial that he wondered if he could ever show his face in wizarding society again.  
  
He put the paper down and rubbed his burning eyes. His thin frame was slumped in his chair, one long-fingered hand pushed through his fine hair. He sat like that for a long, long time listening to the empty silence of the huge house that now belonged solely to him. 


	7. Chapter Six, And The Rest Must Wait To B...

A/N - Thank you to those who have taken the time to review. As always, you keep me going and your feedback is much appreciated.  
  
Chapter Six "Woe unto him that buildeth his house by unrighteousness, and his chambers by wrong" Jeremiah 22:13  
  
The next morning Draco went for a long and very fast ride on his Nimbus 2001 over his estate. It was early in the morning and he could feel Autumn in the air. The leaves on the trees in the estate woods were turning gorgeous shades of brown, red and gold. He was wearing a turtle neck sweater under his practice robes and the air felt cold on his cheeks.  
  
When he landed finally, he had some colour in his cheeks and lips and his eyes were bright but he didn't really feel much better. Another night of tossing and turning had exhausted him. Hermione's mention of Harry's Merlin Award was haunting him. He threw his broom on the ground and flung himself under a tree in the outskirts of the family woodlands. He put his face in his cold hands and breathed deeply.  
  
Precious Harry Potter, he thought savagely! Perfect bloody Harry Potter! Why was he always the hero, always the victor, always the centre of attention? Why was he so popular and so loved and so honoured all the time? He was an orphan brought up by Muggles and just because of a bit of luck when he was a baby - protected from Voldemort's curse by his mother's powerful counter curse, everyone thought he was special. He wasn't even good looking. He was average height with an average build and average brains but everyone thought he was just so bloody wonderful! He was a nobody brought to prominence almost by accident. Yes, he had gone on to defeat Voldemort at every turn during his years at Hogwarts but it was Professor Snape - a Slytherin - who had gotten rid of the maniacal wizard in the end.  
  
Just the sound of Harry Potter's name burned along Draco's nerves like acid. He knew deep down why he hated Potter. It all went back to that day on the Hogwart's Express when he had offered his hand in friendship to the famous boy only to have it coldly disdained. He had never been able to forgive Potter for that. When Harry had be-friended Muggle-borns and the Weasleys who were old enemies of the Malfoys, he had seen there was no turning back. He and Harry were destined to be enemies. Once Potter had begun attacking Voldemort, the enmity was sealed for good. His parents would never have allowed him to be friends with someone with Potter's loyalties and he had sided with his parents as he always had.  
  
A muscle jumped in Draco's thin jaw. Not that siding with his parents had ever done much good apart from saving his own skin. Burning silver eyes stared resentfully into the shadows of the woodland floor. His parents had never given him the approval or attention or affection he had been seeking by displaying the attitudes and loyalties that they had required. He picked up a fallen branch beside him and threw it forcefully into the woods in anger. For all his money, aristocratic looks, impeccable manners and carefully nurtured alliances Draco felt like a failure. Not even his parents had approved of or loved him and most of his peers hated him. Potter's on-going recognition and popularity was just a never-ending reminder of his own failures despite all the advantages he had started life with. The fact that Potter came from a rather ordinary background just rubbed salt into his wounds.  
  
He stayed in the woods for a long time.  
  
* * *  
  
That afternoon, Snape came to visit him. "I understand that a team is coming out next week to start dismantling a Dark Arts store in the Manor," he said without preamble when he found Draco directing House Elves in one of the main dining rooms as they moved furniture out.  
  
"Yes, that's right," Draco said shortly, un-nerved by Snape's keen examination of him.  
  
"I'm glad you decided to do that immediately," his old Professor replied approvingly, beginning to pace at one end of the dining room as he watched the House Elves work.  
  
Draco felt slightly gratified that his actions were being approved of. It made such a nice change from being treated with suspicion and dislike. "I don't want there to be any chance of anyone using those materials to do again what happened at Gillamoor," he said, his face set and his pale eyes glittering in the late afternoon Autumn sunlight.  
  
"Quite," Snape agreed brusquely. "Dumbledore has asked me to invite you to the Ministry next week while the team begin work on the Dark Arts store. There are some Aurors there who want to ask you about Death Eater activities," he added.  
  
Draco nodded. He had known that invitation was coming and he had no objection to co-operating if it would help prevent another Gillamoor in the future. "That's fine," he agreed.  
  
"You'll receive an owl about it on Monday," Snape said with a nod. "Did you enjoy your afternoon with Hermione?" he asked, finally sitting down in a chair near one of the room's two fireplaces.  
  
Snape had taken him by surprise. "Er. Yes, I did actually. It was very interesting and Hermione was an excellent hostess," he said stiltedly.  
  
Snape examined the boy. He believed what he said but Draco was so well- brought up that he often had difficulty relaxing and just being a normal eighteen year old. He doubted any of Hermione's friends ever thought of her as an 'excellent hostess' although in fact she was. They just liked hanging out at her place - in droves, he thought sourly. They usually cleared out whenever he arrived but as they got used to him, they hung around a bit longer than they used to. Snape wasn't keen on sharing Hermione with anyone but he knew he had little choice in the matter as her group of friends was too large. Fortunately most days she was buried up to her eyeballs in text books and it was only them that he had to tear her away from and that was hard enough.  
  
"I saw a 'movie' for the first time. It was quite fascinating to look around a Muggle house. I'd never seen one before," Draco was saying, pointing to the next piece of unsightly chrome furniture for the House Elves to take out.  
  
"Oh yes," Snape said, knowing what a movie was having seen Hermione watching them quite often during his time as her guardian. "I hope you'll make friends with her. She's a reliable friend and would do anything she could to help you," he added pointedly.  
  
"I'm surprised she wants to be friends with me. My guess is that she doesn't really, you've put her up to it," Draco said proudly, his back stiff.  
  
"I asked her to extend her support to you, yes but it was completely her idea to invite you to her eighteenth birthday party. I didn't know about that until afterwards," Snape replied honestly, watching him from under half-lowered lids.  
  
Draco's lips parted in surprise but he quickly closed them again. That bit of information did put a different light on it. He decided to invite her for morning tea and a tour of the Manor one day next week, maybe on the weekend. "Oh," was all he said.  
  
"I have something for you," Snape said, suddenly changing the subject again. He pulled a bundle of parchments out of his robe. "These are a copy of Voldemort's papers. I haven't read them myself but Dumbledore thinks they may be useful to you. He does ask that you destroy them after you have read them as the Ministry does not want copies of Voldemort's theories and ideas in circulation." He put the papers on the ugly glass and chrome dining table.  
  
Draco's pale eyes flickered over to them. "Thank you," he said faintly. "I'll make sure they are destroyed as soon as I've read them."  
  
Snape merely nodded and got up to leave. "Is there anything I can help you with at the moment?" he asked formally.  
  
Draco smiled without warmth. "No, thank you," he replied quietly.  
  
Snape nodded again and then apparated. Draco stared at the spot where he guardian had just been. What could Snape do for him, he wondered? Could he give Draco back an untainted family name? Could he give him Potter's recognition and popularity? Could he give him a different past with more affectionate and less demanding parents? Could he take the obnoxious black mark off his left inner forearm? Could he make this feeling of utter emptiness and pointlessness vanish?  
  
* * *  
  
Draco stayed up all night reading the papers Snape had left for him. They were organised like scientific documents but had very little scientific method applied. The experiments described were not well-conducted and much of the methodology was left out so the reader could not follow the logic of from a to b to c in order to understand the conclusions drawn. The conclusions seemed to be rather superficial to Draco and were not backed up by enough evidence to make the results convincing.  
  
He realised quite quickly that the documents were more about propaganda than careful scientific studies. For example, according to the papers the Muggle-born wizards had thicker boned skulls than the pure-blood wizards. What this was supposed to signify rather baffled Draco. The papers claimed that it meant the brains of the Muggle-borns were smaller and less- developed than that of the pure-bloods. When Draco searched for concrete data to support these assertions, he could find none that was thoroughly researched and extensive enough to be at all credible. The papers also claimed that Muggle-born wizards produced more squib children on average than pure-bloods but there was no real statistical substantiation to support it.  
  
Draco was getting a terrible, terrible headache. Was this the 'evidence' that his parents had based their hatred of Muggle-borns on all those years? If so, it was pitiably weak - almost ridiculous. His parents had always told him that introducing Muggle-born wizards into wizarding society would eventually weaken the magical strength of the wizarding community as a whole over time. If these were the only 'facts' that supported that belief, then it was a lie. There was nothing amongst all of Voldemort's studies to suggest that he was irrefutably right or even close to it.  
  
At his parent's trial, he had heard not only of their involvement in Gillamoor but their activities 20 years earlier before he was born when Snape had been an active Death Eater too. "All those people died for no good reason," Draco murmured, staring sightlessly into the fire in the study he had taken over from his father. "It was all a huge, stupid, unconvincing lie."  
  
Draco tried to understand why his parents would get involved with so much murder on the basis of such flimsy logic and evidence but he couldn't wrap his mind around it. Maybe they never even looked at the information, he pondered. Maybe they just believed Voldemort because he was so charismatic and frightening. He wondered if it was just pure fear that drove them. They had to lay odds on either Voldemort or Dumbledore at that point in time. Maybe they figured it was less terrifying to be on the wrong side of Dumbledore than Voldemort, he thought speculatively. Or maybe they were just cold-blooded murderers who liked the power kick of having enough supremacy over someone to kill them, he thought miserably. He guessed he would never really know or understand his parent's motives. One thing was sure, it wasn't logic or any concrete proof that Voldemort was right that made them do it. There was obviously none to be had.  
  
He felt very, very cold. He felt like he had ice water flowing under his skin rather than blood. He shivered slightly and poured a couple of fingers of scotch from his father's decanter on the desk. My decanter, he corrected himself. He swallowed it quickly and grimaced as it burned down his throat. He got up stiffly and glanced at the clock on the mantel. It was 4am. Slowly he threw each page on the fire and watched as each one was consumed. It was 5am before he went to his suite of rooms to try and get some sleep.  
  
* * *  
  
The owl from the Ministry came after the weekend. Draco opened it already knowing its contents. He was asked to be there the next morning at 9am to meet with some Senior Aurors. Draco was glad he had deferred his first semester at University. There was so much to do and it all seemed extremely time-consuming. He would already have missed a ridiculous number of lectures by now.  
  
He was punctual as always and was shown into a comfortable room with plush armchairs, a small table, a large fireplace and rich drapes. Two Senior Aurors arrived on the dot of 9am, one man and one woman. They smiled kindly at him and gave him a cup of steaming, fragrant tea.  
  
"The first question is, may we used a penseive to record some of your memories?" the lady asked after introducing them both. Her name was Ferenelle and his was Archimedes. Draco stared hard at Archimedes. He was quite young to be a Senior Auror -only a few years older than himself and very good looking in a rather stern way. He was dressed in flowing dark purple robes and carried a cane. His wavy, tow coloured hair was cut very short at the back, and his face was lean and angular. Draco didn't know it but it was the same handsome wizard Hermione had seen on the Night Bus the night she had gone out on the town with Harry and Ron a few weeks ago.  
  
"Yes, that's fine," Draco replied to the greying blonde witch with kind blue eyes.  
  
"Good. Thank you," she replied and went out briefly to bring in the penseive bowl.  
  
The Aurors really wanted some background information on the Death Eaters' organisation and how they operated. Having only been a Death Eater for such a short time put Draco at rather a disadvantage when answering their questions but they were quite pleased to have his memories of his initiation and the few meetings he had attended.  
  
"We will be involved in the dismantling of the Dark Arts room at your Manor," Ferenelle went on to say once they had finished recording his memories. By then it was late afternoon and they had already taken a break for lunch hours before. "We expect to gather far more information there but the data we've received from you today has been immensely useful and we're grateful for your full co-operation," she said pleasantly.  
  
"I'll do anything to make sure there is never another Gillamoor," Draco said quietly, his pale eyes blazing for a moment before becoming subdued once more.  
  
"So will we," Archimedes said severely. Draco jumped; it was the first time Archimedes had said anything all day. The man's piercing, dark blue eyes rested on Draco for a moment. "It's obvious to me from our time with you today that you are perfectly sincere and rather more innocent than most Death Eaters we interview. I am glad to see that Voldemort was defeated before you could be drawn any further into Death Eater activities by your rather notorious parents," he continued austerely. Draco merely nodded, his expression subdued.  
  
"We will want to run some experiments on your Dark Mark if you don't mind," Ferenelle said, pouring Draco a cup of tea before he left. She went on to explain what they were planning as Draco sipped his tea. It sounded useful to him, so he didn't mind. He had deliberately given himself this time to allow for this kind of thing and he no longer wanted to hide anything. He was tired of hiding and pretending and being on the losing side all the time. He never wanted to be associated with anything like Gillamoor again for the rest of his life. There was enough mud to clean off his name. If he ever had children, he wanted to give them a redeemed family name. He was tired of being shocked and anguished by his parent's legacy and the Death Eater's real face. He was fed up with feeling emotionally battered by it all. He never wanted anything to do with the Death Eaters or the Dark Arts ever again.  
  
Finally, he apparated home after agreeing to go back the next day to run the experiments. 


	8. Chapter Seven, Tearing Me Apart

A/N - This is cracking me up. I'm getting far more reviews at the moment for my old story 'This Present Darkness' which has been up for ages than for this new one. I knew people would always prefer my Snape to my Draco. I hate to say it but I do too! LOL.  
  
Chapter Seven "and, lo, an horror of great darkness fell upon him." Genesis 15:12  
  
Between the daily visits to the Ministry to see Ferenelle and Archimedes, and the dismantling of the Dark Arts store Draco was extremely busy. He did not forget his promise to himself to invite Hermione round for morning tea the next Sunday morning and dutifully sent off a well-mannered invitation via owl.  
  
Hermione smiled when she got it but replied in kind and graciously accepted.  
  
That week, the Aurors had asked Draco to show them how to get into the Dark Arts room. He led them through a series of booby trapped tunnels under the Manor. The charms were not sophisticated but they were certainly effective. In order to reach the first tunnel, you had to know the password to make the door appear behind a tapestry in what was now Draco's study. The first charm once you were through the door sensed body heat which set off a hex that rendered the interloper unconscious. You had to say the counter curse the second you crossed the threshold in order to avoid it.  
  
At the first branch in the tunnel, if you went the wrong way you fell down a hidden pit. The floor looked like smooth stone but it was an illusion. The bottom of the pit was lined with stakes. "Lovely," one young Auror said sarcastically when she saw it. Draco glanced at her but said nothing.  
  
The right tunnel had a hidden doorway. Once again, the wall looked like smooth stone but if you knew exactly where to stop and used a password, you would get to the next part of the tunnels. If you continued on, you would come to a dead end that would force you back on your tracks and down the tunnel with the pit.  
  
"Crude but effective," Archimedes said with narrowed eyes as he was present on this particular day.  
  
The next tunnel was even more dangerous. There were three hexes to get past. The first was a deadly form of fungus on the floor. Unless you knew the charm to protect your feet, the fungus would attach to your shoes and rapidly eat their way through them in order to pierce your skin with tiny spores that would kill you in seconds. The second was a wall of iron bars across the tunnel. Three potions were lined up along the wall nearby. One would bend the iron temporarily and the others would kill instantly on contact with human skin. You had to know which was the safe potion. The third was a goblin. If you had not brought gold to pay him with, he would kill you and drag your body to the family for payment.  
  
Once past the goblin, you had to know one final password to get into the Dark Arts room. By this time, you were deep under the Manor and out beneath the grounds under the woodlands. There was a secret exit out into the woods for emergencies which Draco knew about and knew the password for but had never seen. He himself had never been allowed into the Dark Arts room although his father had showed him how to get past the charms to get there many times.  
  
He admitted to himself that he was incredibly curious about what he would find in the Dark Arts room. He had some misgivings about it, taking into account what he had found out about his parent's activities in the last fortnight but on the whole he was more curious than apprehensive.  
  
The group stepped over the threshold led by Draco. He stood just inside the entrance and looked around. Green torches leapt to life the minute he entered the room but it was still gloomy and filled with shadows. It took a couple of seconds for his eyes to adjust but as soon as they had he could see it was actually a series of rooms. The main room which he had just stepped into was a Dark Arts library, similar to the one at Gillamoor but with a larger collection. From this room branched two other rooms separated from the main one by only stone archways.  
  
The Aurors had fanned out into the other rooms and were checking for any further hexes. In five minutes they were given the all-clear and Draco walked through the archway on the left. He backtracked out again very quickly. The room was filled with crude torture instruments. A half- decayed corpse was hanging in a garrott against one wall.  
  
He sat down on the chair in the library before he fell down and swallowed over and over so that he didn't throw up. He could feel cold sweat on his forehead. He would never go in there again.  
  
He wasn't sure how long he sat there before Dumbledore found him. The Aurors were busy testing all the equipment they found and sorting through it in the other rooms. Draco was surprised to see Dumbledore when he sat down next to him. He had not been part of the group that had come down there earlier that day.  
  
"You're doing a very brave thing," Dumbledore said, his blue eyes perceptive as he looked at the boy.  
  
"I don't want to look at it," Draco said abruptly, as though he felt he had to explain himself.  
  
"No, I don't blame you. I don't want to look at it either," Dumbledore said mildly. "But it's a brave thing to face all of this so soon after your parent's trial."  
  
Draco's eyes were focused on the stone floor. "How many people died down here?" he asked tensely. He seemed to have said nothing else in the past two weeks. 'How many people died, how many people were found' seemed to echo around his head endlessly.  
  
"The Aurors don't know yet. That may take months to confirm," Dumbledore said gently.  
  
"I didn't know the first thing about my parents - not really," Draco said, his face tight.  
  
"No, you didn't. No-one at Hogwarts was going to enlighten you either. It's bad enough you're having to deal with this now when you're still so young," Dumbledore said frankly.  
  
Draco nodded slowly. "What else is down here?" he asked finally in a low voice.  
  
"Just a store of Dark Arts instruments and materials," Dumbledore replied truthfully.  
  
"What are you going to do with all of this stuff?" Draco asked, trying to compose himself.  
  
"I'm here to go through the Dark Arts library and decide what needs to be kept in the restricted section and what needs to be destroyed. The Aurors will probably spend some considerable time dismantling the instruments in the room you saw and testing them to trace the victims. Then they will move onto the Dark Arts instruments and materials, and destroy the most dangerous of the items and keep the others in our Dark Arts labs for further research," Dumbledore explained.  
  
"Further research?" Draco questioned.  
  
"The more we know about how the Dark Arts works, the more effectively we can fight it and protect ourselves from it," Dumbledore replied.  
  
"How long will all this take?" he asked, looking around at the Aurors working.  
  
"The Aurors will probably need full access for around 3 months but I imagine they will be examining what they find for at least another year. Do you want a copy of their report when they are finished?" Dumbledore asked cautiously.  
  
"Ask me in a year," Draco said flatly.  
  
* * *  
  
Hermione came for afternoon tea that weekend. She was smiling when she apparated but the smile quickly vanished when she saw him. He looked dreadful. The purple rings under his eyes had gone black and his eyes were sunken into his head. His face was boney and his skin an unhealthy blue- white. He looked like he had spent a week in a dungeon rather than just opening up the family one. He was still immaculately presented however. At home he wore trousers and a turtleneck, dispensing with a robe. The brown trousers were beautifully cut but the cream turtleneck simply emphasised the pallor of his face.  
  
Draco could see the effect his appearance had on Hermione and there was an awkward pause. "Please come through to the sitting room. We'll have tea there and then I'll show you around the house," he said politely.  
  
"Draco," Hermione breathed. "You look awful!" Her face was crumpled with concern as her shrewd, kind grey eyes examined him closely.  
  
Draco tensed. The worst thing anyone could do now was be kind to him. "I'm okay," he said, a slight frown passing over his face. "The past week has been rather stressful, that's all."  
  
"So I can see," Hermione said meaningfully.  
  
He led her through to the sitting room. Hermione would have been looking around her at the magnificent Manor but her attention was focused on the ashen, subdued Draco before her. Hermione poured the tea for them both and as she sipped, she examined him once again.  
  
"Draco, I know it's really none of my business but it is awful to see you looking so stressed. Are you eating okay? Are you sleeping?" she asked kindly.  
  
Draco wanted to lie and say he was fine but he was sick of lying. He did feel appalling and it would be a relief to tell someone. "I'm too tired to eat and I'm not getting much sleep. The Ministry is putting the pressure on to gather information about the Death Eaters and I've got Aurors crawling all over the Manor constantly," he said tiredly, putting down his tea cup and rubbing his forehead with one white hand.  
  
"I'll get Severus to send you some sleeping potion. It's not ideal but at least if you get some sleep you'll have a bit more energy to look after yourself and eat. Also, I think maybe you should move back to Snape Manor for a few weeks until the Aurors are finished dismantling the Dark Arts store under your Manor. You need some peace and quiet. I'll get Severus to owl the Ministry too and see if they can ease up on their investigations a bit. It's pointless you getting so stressed and tired that you are unable to give them full and complete information. It's not like there is any rush really, Voldemort is gone for the time being and just about all of the Death Eaters have been caught," she said sensibly.  
  
Oddly enough, Hermione's rational suggestions made Draco feel slightly better. He decided he would use the sleeping potion and move back to Snape Manor for a bit. At least he would have Severus-the-first and Hermatica for company, and could dodge all those Aurors. He could go home for an hour or so every day just to check that the House Elves were carrying out his orders regarding the refurbishment of the Manor.  
  
"Thank you, that's very helpful advice," Draco heard himself saying. "If Professor Snape has no objection, I think I will move back to Snape Manor as of tomorrow."  
  
"I'm sure he won't mind a bit," Hermione said with a grin, nibbling at a bit of fine shortbread. Hermione hesitated for a moment and then said, "Harry has being saying to me lately that he'd like to see you sometime. Would you be interested in meeting up with him at my place maybe next week?"  
  
Draco nearly dropped his teacup. "Why does Harry want to see me?" he asked suspiciously, his expression guarded.  
  
"I think he's heard me talk about you and what's been happening to you these past couple of weeks, and he'd like to see you," Hermione replied thoughtfully.  
  
"What have you told him?" Draco asked sharply.  
  
"About how you divorced your parents and have been helping the Ministry with their investigations into the Death Eaters, that kind of thing," Hermione said candidly.  
  
Draco's mouth thinned. He couldn't see where there would be any hidden agenda. Harry needed nothing from him - that was for sure. On the other hand, he was curious. What on earth could the precious, famous, perfect Harry Potter have to say to me, he wondered? "I guess so," Draco agreed cautiously.  
  
"Great," Hermione beamed. Draco was struck afresh by how attractive Hermione was. No wonder Professor Snape took his chance when he had it, he thought with cynical amusement. "How about lunch again on Thursday?" Hermione was saying.  
  
Draco merely nodded but he had a cold feeling in his stomach. If Harry was hostile, he'd hex him. He was tired of being despised and rejected by wizards of Harry Potter's ilk and he had precious little tolerance or patience right then.  
  
* * *  
  
True to her word, Hermione had gotten Snape to bring him some sleeping potion that night. His guardian had shown up not long after Hermione had left Malfoy Manor after her tour of the place with a large phial of the potion. Draco smirked to himself when he saw how promptly Hermione had caused Snape to respond. I bet she's got him wrapped around her pretty little finger, Draco thought smugly.  
  
In fact, Hermione's distressed description of how dreadful Draco looked had been the cause of Snape's rapid departure for Malfoy Manor. He found that Hermione had not exaggerated. He looked very displeased when he saw the state the boy was in and ordered him to eat a large meal then and there before he would leave. Then he watched as Draco took some sleeping potion. Once Draco had gone to bed, he lingered long enough to write a letter to Dumbledore and the Ministry about the boy's condition. He had told Draco before he retired for the night that he expected him at Snape Manor the following day and if the House Elves reported that he wasn't eating three proper meals a day while he was there, he would personally come and stand over Draco at every meal time until he did. The mere threat was enough to make Draco decide to eat regularly, regardless of how tired he felt. The thought of having Snape hovering over him like a great bat was enough to ruin anyone's appetite, he reflected.  
  
Thursday came around quickly again. Although his visits to the Ministry had been scaled back to only twice a week thanks to Snape's intervention, Draco was still over-seeing the refurbishment of Malfoy Manor and still answering the queries that came via owl to Snape Manor from the Aurors dismantling the Dark Arts store. Severus-the-first and Hermatica had been pleased to see him but Hermatica had clucked worriedly over how tired and skinny he looked. 


	9. Chapter Eight, Always Felt I Was Outside...

Chapter Eight  
  
"Hold thy peace, lay thine hand upon thy mouth, and go with us," Judges 18:19  
  
Draco turned up at Hermione's house on Thursday looking remarkably better than he had the previous weekend. The shadows under his eyes had faded to pale violet thanks to the sleeping potion and his face had filled out again slightly thanks to all the large meals the Snape House Elves had put in front of him.  
  
"You know, one day we should go shopping and get you a pair of jeans," Hermione commented when she saw Draco arrive in a pair of charcoal grey trousers with a lighter grey cashmere pullover.  
  
"Jeans?" Draco repeated, wrinkling his long nose slightly. "You mean Muggle clothes?"  
  
"You really are better. You almost sounded like your old self then," Hermione said with a grin. "Even Severus has several pairs, you know. He likes black, stone-wash denim," she informed him.  
  
As though I'm supposed to understand what that means, he thought. "I think I'll stick to my tailored trousers, thanks," he said coolly, leaning casually against the kitchen counter as Hermione bustled around the kitchen.  
  
"Help yourself to a butterbeer from the fridge. I got some specially for today, Harry loves them," Hermione said.  
  
"Is it just the three of us?" Draco asked, pulling open the fridge and rather proud of himself for remembering what a 'fridge' was.  
  
"Yes. Ron may drop by later this afternoon but he's got Auror Academy until 4pm," Hermione said, pulling something out of the oven. Hermione heard a noise in the lounge room. "That will be Harry," she said, and walked quickly through to the other room. Draco felt himself tense. She brought back an unusually serious eyed Harry.  
  
The two boys sized each other up across the kitchen. Harry examined Draco's face carefully, as though looking for something. What he saw obviously satisfied him because he spoke first. "You're probably wandering why the hell I asked Hermione to invite you today," he said in his unusually deep voice. Before Draco could answer, he continued. "It was because Hermione had told me about your co-operation with the Ministry in order to help them sniff out Death Eater activity; also your decision to divorce your parents and then clear out Malfoy Manor of Dark Arts materials. I imagine the past few weeks have been difficult for you in a way I can't imagine," he said directly, the gaze of his green eyes steady. "I take it from these actions that you wish to leave your Death Eater past behind," he added, his gaze suddenly more intense as though trying to gauge Draco's reaction to his words.  
  
"That's right," Draco replied shortly, his eyes imperturbable.  
  
"I trust Hermione's judgment. She says you're sincere and her opinion combined with the evidence of your recent actions is enough to make me have confidence in you," Harry said simply. He held out his hand to Draco. "Shall we be allies now instead of enemies?"  
  
It was not an offer of friendship, merely alliance. Draco knew the difference. Harry was prepared to work with him but he had not made up his mind whether or not he actually liked Draco. Draco could live with that. He was not at all sure he liked Harry Potter either but he knew a valuable and powerful new allai when he saw it. Seeing Harry's hand extended towards him reminded him vividly of that time on the Hogwarts Express nearly seven years ago now when he had offered his own hand to the young Harry Potter. He had been rejected and not only rejected but scorned as well. The memory still burned but that was the past and Draco had his future to think of. He only hesitated a moment before taking Harry's hand and shaking it firmly. Pale grey eyes met bright green ones for a moment and the deal was done.  
  
Hermione, who had been holding her breath the whole time, let it out slowly and tried not to smile too broadly. "Come on, enough politics. Let's eat," she said teasingly.  
  
They sat down at the table to Harry's favourite meal; a mess of baked beans, potato, frankfurts and onion rings baked together casserole style. "It's a typical rugby dinner," Hermione explained when she saw Draco looking curiously at it.  
  
"It's fantastic!" Harry assured him enthusiastically as he shovelled a steaming mouthful in.  
  
Draco had no idea what 'rugby' was but found the meal rather tasty if extremely filling but he guessed that someone who played sport all day probably had hollow legs and would naturally love this kind of stodgy meal.  
  
The three discussed the events in the paper and what was going on at Hogsbridge. Hermione had made a new friend who had been in France all the way through high school but was now back home in England for her University education. "What is she like?" Harry asked, still stuffing his face and now on his second plateful and third butterbeer.  
  
"I don't really know how to describe her," Hermione confessed, looking perplexed. "I've never met anyone quite like her before," she said shaking her head.  
  
"Oh well, that's nice," Harry said, not really interested in Hermione's new friend as she was a girl and Harry had been going steady with Ginny for the past year.  
  
Draco wasn't listening at that point. He was trying to cover up the fact that he had only been able to eat half of the enormous serving Hermione had given him by spreading the remains over his plate.  
  
After they ate, the three watched a new release DVD. It was Lord of the Rings. Draco found himself glued to the screen once more, completely caught up. It didn't finish until 4.30pm. Just as the closing titles came up, Ron arrived.  
  
"Hi Ron," Harry said with a grin for his best friend. "Have you seen Lord of the Rings yet? I don't think they quite got the Orcs right. They're actually much uglier in real life, don't you think?" he commented with a yawn.  
  
Ron was eyeing Draco with dislike and Draco was returning the compliment. "What's he doing here?" Ron asked bluntly. Draco was forcibly reminded of exactly how much he disliked Ron Weasley and his face showed his fine-edged contempt for the freckle-faced boy.  
  
"Maybe its time for me to leave," Draco said coolly, getting up.  
  
"No, stay," Harry said calmly. "We're going to have to have this out sometime anyway. It may as well be now."  
  
Hermione nodded in agreement. "I haven't had a chance to tell you what I've told Harry, Ron," she said and went on to explain about what Draco had been doing in the past three weeks.  
  
Draco sat down again stiffly in his chair. He kept his eyes lowered as Hermione told Ron about his work with the Ministry and what he had done concerning his own family and family estate. He found it embarrassing to have it all related to an old enemy. He did not want Ron's approval and was not trying to seek it.  
  
Ron listened sulkily, still standing ready to leave himself. When Hermione finished talking he said to Harry, "do you believe all this? Do you think he's really changed his mind about Voldemort and the Death Eaters and the Dark Arts?" he asked, his face flushing with anger.  
  
"Yes," Harry replied evenly. Draco's attitude relaxed slightly towards Harry at that point. If Harry was willing to stand up to Ron on his behalf then he really was an allai.  
  
"How do you know he didn't change his mind the night Voldemort was defeated in order to save his own skin?" Ron demanded heatedly, annoyed at Harry's support of their old enemy and not convinced by the things Hermione had said.  
  
"If he had been trying to save his own skin he sure as hell would not have gone within miles of Gillamoor that night," Harry said flatly. "He also would not have divorced his parents and forfeited his inheritance before knowing whether or not his parents would be caught and prosecuted."  
  
"He had no need to tell the Ministry about the Dark Arts store in the Malfoy Manor. He could have produced a few bits and pieces of Dark Arts materials to convince the Ministry he was co-operating and kept the rooms under the Manor hidden for good," Hermione added logically.  
  
"Well what about all those years at Hogwarts, Hermione?" Ron continued furiously. "He spent seven years calling you a Mudblood! Remember when the Chamber of Secrets was opened in second year? 'You'll be next Mudbloods!' - that's what he said. He was glad Muggle-borns were being attacked. He wanted to see you dead! You remember what he said Harry, when we used the polyjuice to become Crabbe and Goyle? He wanted Hermione to be the first to die! Do you remember that?" Ron spat.  
  
Draco's mind was whirling. Ron and Harry had used polyjuice to sneak into the Slytherin Common Room and speak to him in second year? He had never found out about it until now. What else had this trio been up to at Hogwarts?  
  
"What's your point?" Draco said with an indolent shrug but his eyes were narrowed.  
  
"What's my point?" Ron shouted. "My point is that you wanted to be a murderer then too and now you're pretending to be so terribly shocked when you find out your parents are!"  
  
"You don't understand anything," Draco said with a sneer.  
  
"Why don't you try and explain and help us understand?" Hermione said gently.  
  
Draco glared coldly at Ron. "I will if he promises not to interrupt," he replied frigidly.  
  
"Fine," Ron said shortly and sat down. "I can't wait to hear this."  
  
"First of all, you have to understand that I was brought up to believe that Muggle-borns would weaken the magical strength of the wizarding community," he began grimly.  
  
Hermione glanced up suddenly at him. So the theory I discussed with Padma all those weeks ago was correct, she thought.  
  
"We believed that if enough Muggle-borns inter-married with the pure-bloods that eventually the concentration of magic in our families would diminish. Of course, I have since found out this is false but only in the past week or so. Professor Snape gave me copies of Voldemort's papers. I had never seen them before. The evidence he uses to support this idea is downright flimsy. My parents were wrong to believe Voldemort and I was wrong to believe them," he said unequivocally.  
  
"Understandable though," Hermione pointed out. "I believed what my parents told me while I was growing up."  
  
Draco was grateful for Hermione's support. It was all surprisingly hard to explain. "I also grew up with the idea that the Dark Arts and the Death Eaters were glamorous and powerful. I was dazzled by that glamour, I guess," he shrugged. "Then there were my parent's expectations to take into account too. There was no question as far as they were concerned that I was going to be a Death Eater. Their attention and approval was hard enough to get at the best of times, if I had shown no interest in becoming a Death Eater they probably would have disowned me. Being a good Death Eater candidate at least got me some degree of support."  
  
The room was silent for a few moments. "As for hating Muggle-borns and wanting them to be attacked in second year, I guess I thought if someone actually died then the Muggle-borns would be forced to leave the school. This would lessen the danger to the pure-bloods' magical strength in the future or so I thought," he said with a sigh.  
  
"That's no excuse for wanting people murdered!" Ron said but with less heat.  
  
"Perhaps not but it seemed like a drastic problem that needed a drastic solution. After all, Dumbledore wasn't going to kick the Muggle-borns out to save the strength of the magical community was he? He had to be forced to. That was the reasoning anyway," Draco said tiredly.  
  
"But Dumbledore turned out to be right and Voldemort was wrong," Hermione said softly.  
  
"Yes. At 12 years of age however, I believed my parents," Draco said. "I also think that a 12 year old can't really understand the hideous finality of death. It's an abstract idea to someone that young. It takes coming face-to-face with it to understand what it really is," Draco added, the corpse recently found under his family Manor suddenly clear before his inner eye.  
  
Ron was silent. He understood what Draco was saying but it was hard to forgive seven years of enmity and insults. He found it particularly hard to forgive Draco being rich and privileged while he had grown up poor and watched his parents struggle - often persecuted by Draco's own parents.  
  
"So is Draco your friend now?" Ron asked Harry stiffly.  
  
"I imagine he will become a friend in time as I get to know him. For now, he's an allai and not an enemy," Harry replied honestly. Draco was glad Harry told the exact truth rather than dress it up for Ron's benefit.  
  
"Fine," Ron said shortly. "I'm prepared to give him a chance for now if you are but don't expect me to suddenly warm to him," he added eyeing Draco suspiciously.  
  
"That's fine by me," Draco said, with a touch of his old arrogance.  
  
Hermione smiled to herself. In the midst of huge upheaval, some things never changed. 


	10. Chapter Nine, The Only One That I Wanna ...

Chapter Nine "Do not stir up nor awaken love until it pleases." Song of Solomon 2:7  
  
Ginny and Padma had been more curious than cautious when Harry and Ron respectively had told them that they'd met up with Draco. Once the boys had explained the meeting to them, they had been quite eager to meet up with Draco and form an opinion for themselves. Draco had been frankly surprised that they'd welcomed him into their rather intimate group and had been on his guard initially but he soon relaxed. He was beginning to realize that Gryffindors wouldn't know what a 'hidden agenda' was if it bit them. He found it oddly comforting.  
  
Draco celebrated his eighteenth birthday barely just over a month since that fateful night at the North York moors. He had a quiet dinner with Hermione, Harry, Ron, Padma, Ginny and Professor Snape at the Snape Manor. They all bought him a present which he had not been expecting and it touched him more than he liked to admit even to himself. Hermione had bought him a complete leather bound collection of Sherlock Holmes books. Harry and Ginny had clubbed together and bought him the BBC's Sherlock Holmes series on DVD. Ron and Padma had also clubbed together and got a beautiful cashmere pullover in an icey blue that lent a tinge of azure to Draco's colourless eyes when he put it on. Snape had given him a silver seal engraved with the Malfoy Crest and his initials. "A reminder that you can make your name proud once more," he'd said quietly to the boy. Draco had loved it.  
  
He had asked Hermione to help him set up a television and VCR/DVD at Malfoy Manor just the previous week. In the end, they had to buy a small generator to supply the electricity too as the Manor had never needed to be wired before and it was still a rather pointless exercise just for an entertainment unit. Draco had already begun to acquire quite a good movie collection on DVD and video.  
  
Draco had felt awkward about staying on at Snape Manor now that Snape was no longer officially his guardian. He had made noises a couple of days ago about getting ready to move back to Malfoy Manor but Hermione had objected. "Isn't it still crawling with Aurors?" she had asked. He'd admitted that it was. "I'd stay here until the end of the year if I were you," she advised. "It's only another couple of months or so away and the Aurors should be just about done by then."  
  
Snape had agreed with her adding, "it's not like you have to see us if you don't want to. We're hardly ever here and when we are, the place is so huge we are unlikely to bump into each other."  
  
"It's not that, I just don't want to impose," he said with almost excruciating good manners.  
  
"You're not imposing," Snape had said bluntly.  
  
"Hardly! We never see you," Hermione had laughed. "Well, not here at any rate," she added as she had seen quite a lot of Draco over the past 2 weeks but that was mostly at her own home or when she was helping him shop for his entertainment unit. "Stay on until New Year at least," she said encouragingly and Snape nodded his agreement.  
  
* * *  
  
Over the next couple of months, Draco only ran into Hermione and Snape a couple of times at Snape Manor and fortunately for him neither of them knew he had seen them.  
  
He had been about to go into one of the smaller sitting rooms to write an owl to his House Elves at Malfoy Manor when he heard familiar voices inside. At first he'd thought it was Severus-the-first and Hermatica and was about to go in anyway but then he caught a glimpse of black robe through the crack in the door and realized there was actually someone in there - Professor Snape and Hermione both from the sound of it.  
  
His lips parted in astonishment at what he saw and he found he couldn't tear his gaze away. Professor Snape was standing over Hermione with an expression on his face as he looked down at her that Draco could never have imagined there in his wildest dreams. His face was grave and the emotion in his deep set eyes was at once intense and caressing. The usual sharpness in his gaze was missing and the harsh lines of his features had softened. His long, pale fingers were caught up in Hermione's thick hair. Her slender form was pressed against his, her back arched as she looked up at him with an expression of remarkable tenderness. She reached up one hand and touched his face gently. They both looked totally absorbed in the other as though the rest of the world didn't exist.  
  
Draco's face burned. He backed away abruptly and noiselessly walked away to another sitting room. He had never seen two people look at each other like that in his life. He didn't know such feelings even existed. He was a pure-blood wizard and had not been brought up on a diet of fairy tales, movies, popular culture and the Muggle media. He had never had Cola or cars sold to him via images of actors pretending romantic love and passionate sex. To see two real people absorbed in each other like that was a deep shock to him. It made him feel deeply jealous, profoundly self- conscious and strangely aroused. Adrenalin was pumping round his body and his face was still ablaze.  
  
Of course, he had known about sex. Sex education was dutifully covered at Hogwarts along with lessons in how to make contraceptive potions. (Pomphrey took those classes, not Snape.) He had messed around with girls at Hogwarts and had lost his virginity a couple of years ago now. However, he had not looked for nor expected whatever that emotion was that he had clearly seen displayed between Professor Snape and Hermione. He suddenly understood that Professor Snape had not merely taken advantage of an opportunity with Hermione. They had some kind of profound bond that Draco did not even begin to understand. It perplexed him and filled him with an odd, relentless yearning to experience something like it himself.  
  
He sat down at a writing table in the sitting room and put his cold hands over his burning face. He had an intuition that that kind of thing was not just there for the asking. He realized suddenly that there was a new restlessness running through his veins. He sat there staring out onto the formal gardens for a long time.  
  
* * *  
  
Hermione could remember the first day she met Luna. It was the first week at Hogsbridge and the introductory lecture to International Wizarding Politics 101. Everyone else in the lecture hall was wearing dark robes. Luna waltzed in wearing a smart red wool skirt, a tailored white shirt knotted at the waist, black tights and knee high black boots. Her robe was pinned at the neck with an elegant silver broach but was thrown back over her shoulders. Everything about the girl screamed 'chic'.  
  
Her very dark hair was cut into a modern short bob that gleamed and swished silkily around her head every time she moved it. It framed her heart shaped face perfectly. Her build was small with fine bones and Hermione found out much later that she had a distant Asian ancestor which also explained the sensual slant to the girl's dark green eyes.  
  
Much later when Hermione tried to figure out what it was about Luna that attracted her, she decided it was a combination of factors. She gave the impression of being very self-possessed and independent. She did not seem to know anyone else in the lecture and went and sat by herself towards the back of the theatre. She didn't try and make eye contact with anyone or really pay much attention to what anyone else was doing. She simply sat there looking perfectly at home waiting for the lecturer to arrive.  
  
Hermione had a keen eye and guessed Luna was foreign, and her style was simply what she was used to where she came from. She couldn't resist going up to her after the lecture. "Hi, I'm Hermione and this is Padma. We're ex-Hogwarts students. Where did you go to school?" she asked with a friendly grin.  
  
The girl smiled back. "I went to school in France - Beauxbatons," she replied with a slight lilt in her voice that merely suggested at an accent. "I'm English though. My parents are diplomats."  
  
"You would know Fleur Delacour then," Padma said warmly.  
  
"Yes and all her sisters. My name is Luna, by the way," she added, extending a hand in turn to them both.  
  
"Come and have lunch with us," Hermione invited.  
  
That was how the friendship began. Hermione soon found out that Luna had some very French ideas and tended to dismiss strict ideas of right and wrong with an elegant shrug of her shoulders if they inconvenienced her in any way. She was not interested in saving the world or in the larger issues - mainly she just wanted to have a good time.  
  
On the other hand, she was not very bad either. She was extremely generous and kind but had strong opinions and a sharp tongue to express them. She had no problem losing her temper with someone who annoyed her and creating a fuss but she never held grudges and forgave quickly. She was moody and temperamental but the sunshine in her nature far outweighed the occasional storm. She had a clever, cruelly observant wit but often turned the joke on herself. She was quick to laugh and also had extremely good, well-bred manners - probably from growing up in embassies, Hermione figured.  
  
She was, Hermione admitted, rather vain and preferred not to take anything too seriously. Then again, she'd help anyone who needed it with time or money or simply a shoulder to cry on. Her mind was mercurial and moved from one subject to another incredibly fast which made her a rather fascinating conversationalist as she was a bottomless well of ideas and clever observations. She went through boyfriends with amazing speed. She once admitted to Hermione that her idea of a long term relationship was 6 weeks. The mere thought gave Hermione a headache but Luna was quite sanguine about it. "I have a short attention span," she said with her graceful shrug.  
  
On the whole, Hermione decided she liked Luna enormously (she was certainly never dull) but did not understand her one bit. Padma liked her too but had reservations. She was never quite sure what Luna was going to do or say next and had doubts about the girl's scruples.  
  
Ron and Harry met her soon enough. They had both stared as though Luna was an exotic exhibit in a museum. Ron was frankly intimidated by Luna's self- assurance. Harry liked her but similar to Hermione, didn't pretend to understand her at all. He thought anyone who got involved with her was either very brave or very foolish and was quite glad of having a girl as comprehensible and familiar as Ginny. Ginny herself had thought Luna rather reserved until she first heard her laugh which didn't take long. After that, she warmed up to the unusual girl.  
  
For some reason, Draco did not meet Luna for a long time after the others knew her quite well. In fact, he didn't meet her until Hermione had already moved into her new cottage at Hogsmeade towards the end of November. He had decided to pop in unannounced one afternoon when he knew Hermione didn't have lectures to borrow one of her DVDs that he hadn't seen yet. He hadn't intended to stay very long, until he saw Luna that was. The girl's green eyes had swept over him with obvious pleasure and she'd smiled slowly at him with undisguised interest.  
  
Hermione had watched this with misgivings and some surprise. She had never seen Luna in predatory mode. She wasn't exactly subtle, Hermione thought with amusement. Still, neither was Draco, she mused as she watched his pale eyes light up immediately in response and how he introduced himself without missing a beat. Smooth, Hermione thought shaking her head, Draco is definitely smooth.  
  
What Hermione didn't realise was not only was there obvious chemistry between them but that both of them had recognised someone of their own class immediately. It took an upper-class pure-blood to know one. It wasn't anything obvious. It had more to do with body language, the kind of clothes they were wearing, their well-bred good looks and their reserved self-assurance which others sometimes mistook for arrogance.  
  
Draco went and sat beside her on the couch after introducing himself and began quizzing her on how she knew Hermione and what she was studying at University. Hermione rolled her eyes and went to the kitchen to make some tea. She knew perfectly well that neither of them would notice whether she was there or not for the rest of the afternoon. Fortunately for her, Snape arrived not long after and kept her company for the rest of the afternoon. He looked rather anxious when he glanced into the living room to see Draco's fair head bent close to Luna's dark one as they talked and flirted.  
  
"Is that a good idea?" he asked Hermione dryly nodding towards the lounge room and sipping the tea she gave him while he leaned against the counter.  
  
Hermione looked dubious and didn't answer. She honestly didn't know what to say. She had no idea why she hadn't known all along that that would happen as soon as those two laid eyes on each other. "Like two peas in a pod," Hermione muttered into her own tea.  
  
"Quite. That's what is worrying me," Snape said sardonically. "Well, at least we know everything that's happened to him lately hasn't affected him too much."  
  
Hermione laughed at the edge of sarcasm in his voice. "Yes, it is rather reassuring isn't it? I'm glad he is wearing his cream trousers and new pale blue sweater. He looks quite handsome," she added.  
  
"Handsome? That rat-faced, skinny albino?" Snape growled, disgruntled.  
  
Hermione crinkled her nose. "You're right. He's not really handsome, is he? Actually, he barely qualifies for good-looking. I think the fact that he's so unusual in his colouring and bone structure makes him stand out," Hermione admitted, being strictly honest.  
  
"Breeding," Snape said categorically. "Generations of deliberately attractive, Aryan-looking wives," he said with contempt.  
  
"Hmmm," Hermione replied reflecting that no amount of attractive wives marrying into the Snape line had altered the fact that her Severus looked exactly like the first Severus Snape.  
  
Suddenly, Hermione and Severus heard the front door close. Hermione went over to the window to see Draco and Luna heading down the front path and start walking in the direction of Hogsmeade, only a ten minute stroll away. She glanced back at Severus who was also watching them and laughed out loud at the appalled and resigned expression on his face. 


	11. Chapter Ten, Who Will Save Your Soul?

A/N - Once more, thank you to my reviewers (especially the lovely Kat-tak).  
  
Chapter Ten  
  
"Bring my soul out of prison"  
  
Psalm 142:7  
  
Hermione held the parchment in her hand and stared unseeingly out of the window of her new cottage. It was about a week since she had seen Draco and Luna disappear into Hogsmeade and she hadn't heard from either of them since although she'd seen Luna around the Hogsbridge campus. The contents of this parchment on the Malfoy letterhead put all thoughts of that visit right out of her mind however.  
  
Draco had asked her a favour. He wanted her to go with him to Azkaban to visit his parents. She frowned and re-read the note.  
  
Hermione,  
  
I have a special favour to ask and I am asking you as I don't know who else to make this request to at this point in my life.  
  
My parents were sentenced to the Dementor's Kiss as I'm sure you know from all the press coverage and are know in Azkaban for the term on their natural life. I would like to go and visit them even though I know they will not recognise me.  
  
I can't explain exactly why I want to go and see them. I'm not entirely sure myself but I was wondering if you would be so kind as to come with me? For some reason, I don't really want to go on my own.  
  
If you are agreeable, I was thinking of going on Sunday afternoon so it won't clash with your University lectures.  
  
Draco.  
  
Hermione already knew she would go. She knew perfectly well that Draco would go on his own if she didn't agree to accompany him. With a sigh, she picked up a quill to scribble her agreement.  
  
* * *  
  
Hermione examined Draco carefully when he apparated to her cottage that Sunday. Severus was seeing to the beginnings of repairs and renovations to his estate, and she was alone. He looked as though he hadn't slept the previous night but he was as always, immaculately groomed in tan trousers and a camel coloured pullover.  
  
"Why do you want to go?" Hermione asked as she handed him a cup of tea before they left.  
  
He shrugged. "I don't really know. Maybe I just need to see with my own eyes that they really aren't coming back," he said, his voice subdued and his light eyes lowered as he sipped the tea.  
  
Hermione nodded. She could understand that. What she didn't understand was how Draco was keeping himself together so well. She had heard from Luna that the two of them had gone out a few times in the past week so he was still managing to live some semblance of a normal life. Hermione had not had a chance to talk to Luna about what had been going on in Draco's life just before he met her and she wasn't even sure it was her place to do so.  
  
Draco put down the teacup and said, "ready to go?" Hermione nodded.  
  
* * *  
  
Hermione had never even seen a picture of Azkaban before and was rather glad of it. Seeing it instantly called to mind a description from Poe's 'Fall of the House of Usher'.  
  
*"I know not how it was--but, with the first glimpse of the building, a sense of insufferable gloom pervaded my spirit. I say insufferable; for the feeling was unrelieved by any of that half-pleasurable, because poetic, sentiment, with which the mind usually receives even the sternest natural images of the desolate or terrible. I looked upon the scene before me--upon the mere house, and the simple landscape features of the domain--upon the bleak walls--upon the vacant eye-like windows--upon a few rank sedges--and upon a few white trunks of decayed trees--with an utter depression of soul which I can compare to no earthly sensation more properly than to the after- dream of the reveller upon opium--the bitter lapse into everyday life--the hideous dropping off of the veil. There was an iciness, a sinking, a sickening of the heart--an unredeemed dreariness of thought which no goading of the imagination could torture into aught of the sublime."  
  
"My God," Hermione breathed. The mere sight of the grey-brown, castle-like structure surrounded by a low, dense, thick, brownish fog made her feel nauseous with horror.  
  
They had apparated at one end of a very long, low, stone bridge that led over a swamp and up to the heavily barricaded drawbridge. "What is this? The Bog of Eternal Stench?** The Swamp of Sorrows?***" Hermione was muttering as they began the long walk to the drawbridge. The swamp was mostly covered with the oily brown fog but in patches there were stunted, twisted, gnarled, bush-like trees without leaves and every now and then the murky water would erupt with foul-smelling gas in patches.  
  
Draco kept in the centre of the low bridge to avoid being splashed by one of the eruptions. His aristocratic nose was slightly wrinkled at the smell. Apart from that, he did not talk and stared straight ahead at the castle.  
  
The walk itself seemed to take an ice age but when they drew close to the structure, close enough to have to crane their heads backwards to see the top of the towers, Hermione looked at her watch and realised the walk had only taken them an hour or so. Finally they reached the drawbridge and then turned and looked at each other. "What now?" Draco asked as though Hermione should know.  
  
"I don't know," Hermione admitted. Azkaban was one of the few subjects she had absolutely no interest in.  
  
"Name!" a voice said above their heads and slightly to the right.  
  
Draco and Hermione looked up. A small window with wooden shutters had been opened and a goblin was looking down at them. "Oh! Hermione and Draco," Hermione answered, getting over her surprise more quickly than Draco.  
  
"Surnames!" the goblin said impatiently, glaring down at them.  
  
"Granger and Malfoy," Draco replied this time.  
  
"Don't know no Granger but we have Malfoys. Oh yes, we have the Malfoys alright!" the goblin said, grinning evilly.  
  
"We want to visit them," Hermione said hastily, glancing quickly at Draco. His face was tight and he looked like he wanted to hex the goblin.  
  
"You'll have to come in the guest entrance," the goblin said flatly.  
  
"Where is that?" Draco said but the goblin had shut the window and disappeared. Draco swore. A few seconds later a door slowly appeared in the stonework under the wooden window. It swung open and the goblin ushered them inside.  
  
The room was plain stone without a stick of furniture or a window. The door disappeared behind them quickly. This made Hermione decidedly nervous.  
  
"Put your hand here," the goblin directed tersely, indicating a shiny black stone set into the wall at shoulder height.  
  
"Why?" Draco asked suspiciously.  
  
"To identify you both, of course. We don't just take your word for it! This is a prison," the goblin snapped.  
  
Hermione put her hand on the stone and felt a slight tingling. Her name and personal details showed up on the stone wall above her hand. "Cool! Handprint identification. A bit like using iris'," Hermione said with interest.  
  
After Draco had done the same, the goblin handed them both a silvery cloak. "What's this?" Hermione said curiously.  
  
"Ask a lot of questions, don't you?" the goblin snapped.  
  
"You don't know the half of it," Draco said drily.  
  
"It's made of a material similar to a patronus. It will keep Dementors away from you while you are visiting. Don't take them off unless you want to have your soul sucked out of you," the goblin said nastily.  
  
"Nice," Draco muttered.  
  
"Your wands won't work in here except for the Patronus charm but you shouldn't need that anyway if you've got the cloaks," the goblin added and put his own hand on the black stone. The wall next to it dissolved and they found themselves in a stone hallway, again completely plain without furnishings or windows. It was lit with a reddish light that seemed to have no source and the low ceiling gave it an oppressive feeling.  
  
They had to walk very fast to keep up with the goblin. Hermione lost track of the long hallways and narrow stairwells she travelled down. They passed numerous Dementors along the way patrolling the empty hallways but they avoided the group, repelled by the cloaks. Finally they came to yet another long hallway but here the goblin stopped. He traced one fingernail down the wall and a doorway opened up to reveal a cell. Suddenly Hermione realised that all the hallways they had come down contained any number of cells along them.  
  
The goblin stepped inside and beckoned to Hermione and Draco. Hermione glanced at Draco and realised he was pulling back. Quickly she stepped in first to give him time to gather himself. The room was completely bare. There was not even straw on the floor, let alone a bed. There was no window and the only light was the same diffuse red one that lit up the hallways. Hermione put one hand over her mouth and bit back a gasp. Lucius and Narcissa were both sitting on the floor with their backs against one wall but Hermione would never have recognised them. Their beautiful, fine, white hair which they had passed on to their son was matted and a dirty grey. They faces were blank, their eyes staring and their mouths open. They were dressed in rather filthy cotton robes similar to those given to patients in Muggle hospitals. They sat unmoving, barely even blinking. It was obvious that whoever Lucius and Narcissa had been, they no longer existed. They were gone and all that was left were hideous shells almost like life-sized puppets of themselves.  
  
Hermione pulled herself together quickly. She couldn't show her shock to Draco, she was here to support him not collapse herself.  
  
He had come into the room himself by then. He stood very still when he saw them and bit his lip until it bled. Without even thinking Hermione went and stood close beside him and took his hand. They stood there like two bewildered children for a long time. Finally Draco gently let go of her hand and went over to his parents. His steps were hesitant but determined. He crouched next to them and passed one slender hand in front of their eyes. Their eyelids didn't flicker.  
  
"Mum? Dad?" Draco said. The sound of Draco's voice almost brought Hermione to tears. It was the voice of a child looking for its parents - hesitant and afraid and lost. "It's me, Draco." He stared intensely at them, obviously hoping for some hint of recognition even just a flicker.  
  
It was useless. They were as good as dead. He stared at them for a long time as though trying to imprint their faces on his memory. Finally he got up and walked out of the cell. Hermione took one last look at the pair and followed him. The goblin led them back through the labyrinthine hallways and to the entrance room. They handed in their cloaks and left, Draco paying the goblin a gold coin.  
  
The walk back along the low bridge to where they could apparate seemed far shorter than the walk there. "What really happened that night?" Draco asked quietly, as soon as they were well away from the drawbridge.  
  
"What night?" Hermione asked although she suspected the answer.  
  
"The night Voldemort was defeated. You were there and Voldemort was about to kill you. Then you were gone and the Black Unicorn was there. Where did it come from and why did Snape use Avada Kevarda on Voldemort rather than letting the Black Unicorn kill him?" Draco asked.  
  
Hermione decided to lie. She trusted Draco but the best way to keep a dangerous secret was for as few people to know it as possible. "I don't know where it came from but if it hadn't come, I would have died for sure," she replied then went on to explain about the properties of a Black Unicorn and why Snape had not wanted the creature to sacrifice its nature in destroying Voldemort.  
  
Draco merely nodded. "That does explain it then but I still wonder where it came from just in time to save your life," he added thoughtfully.  
  
Draco didn't talk again until they were back at Hermione's cottage. "Stay for dinner," Hermione invited, seeing the boy's white, pinched face.  
  
"No, I don't think I could eat anything," Draco said honestly. "Can I have a cup of tea though?" he asked politely.  
  
Hermione nodded with a smile and waved her wand at the kettle. Snape was back from Snape Manor and was looking intently at Draco through narrowed, black eyes. "Did it help?" he asked suddenly, his deep voice rasping slightly as it sometimes did.  
  
Draco glanced up at him and considered. "Yes and no," he replied truthfully, looking away again.  
  
Hermione handed him a cup of tea. She could tell that it had affected him probably more profoundly than even their capture or trial. It made it final for him, she realised. Something had changed in his face, she decided and it would probably take awhile for him to get used to it himself. She suddenly realised that she would need to write to Luna the next day.  
  
* The Fall of the House of Usher - Edgar Allen Poe  
  
** The Bog of Eternal Stench is from the movie 'Labyrinth' by Jim Henson and George Lucus and Brian Froud.  
  
*** The Swamp of Sorrows is from Michael Ende's 'The Never-Ending Story'. 


	12. Chapter Eleven, It's Been Swell Sweethea...

Chapter Eleven "for charity shall cover the multitude of sins." 1 Peter 4:8  
  
Hermione knew it was none of her business really but she felt she had to write to Luna and tell her a bit about Draco's history and what had been happening in his life recently. Luna had been in France during Voldemort's reign of terror and although his network had spread to France at the time of Harry's parent's death, it was obviously well before Luna was born. The most recent campaign of the Death Eaters had been contained to Britain and Luna would have little knowledge of it and the Malfoy family connection.  
  
Hermione knew she was interfering but she had a funny feeling about Luna. She suspected that the girl could be good for Draco in a way none of his previous girlfriends could have been. She was his equal in family background, wealth, attractiveness and brains. It was rare for Draco to encounter someone like that. It would be a pity for their relationship to end before it began simply because Draco was struggling to get over a series of profound shocks that Luna knew nothing about.  
  
Hermione had a bad feeling that if she didn't write this letter, Draco would be nursing his wounds from the previous day at Azkaban and would not be able to put a good face on to fool Luna anytime soon. He would avoid her and she would not understand. Hermione also suspected that Draco did not have the inner strength after all his recent emotional bashing to tell Luna himself what had been happening to him. He would let Luna go as a result and probably regret it for a long time.  
  
Hermione hesitated for a moment but then pulled a quill and parchment towards her and began to write.  
  
* * *  
  
Luna read Hermione's very long letter that evening after lectures had finished. The story it contained sounded almost unbelievable, like something out of a novel. She knew about Voldemort and the Death Eaters although English news had been of minor importance amongst the French wizarding community. Her parents had often discussed it as they were up to date with English news in their role as diplomats. However, it had not touched greatly on Luna's life as a French schoolgirl at the time.  
  
She did not know Draco very well as yet. He was an intensely reserved person for all his lack of shyness in asking her out and flirting with her. She knew that Hermione had written to her because Draco himself would never speak to her about these things, at least at this tenuous stage of their friendship. She was unsure how to proceed with this information. Luna was not brought up to arrive unannounced on Draco's doorstep to talk to him about it and she was sure Draco himself would prefer not to face her at that point if he was trying to overcome the previous day's horrible experience. However, she did not wish to ignore what she now knew either and simply allow things to drift.  
  
In the end, Luna decided that what she wanted most was what was best for Draco. She didn't believe a girl he had been flirting with like herself would be of any use to him but a friend might. Finally, late that night she picked up a quill and began a short letter.  
  
Draco,  
  
I have recently heard from one of your very kind friends about the terrible tragedies you have recently suffered with regard to your family. I wanted to let you know that I have been very sorry to hear of it and I think your actions are remarkably courageous.  
  
To be honest, I feel as though even this small note is an intrusion on your grief so please forgive me for that.  
  
I know we don't know each other very well but if you ever need another friend, let me know.  
  
Luna.  
  
Luna looked at her note and sighed. She had a feeling even this small note may be an imposition but she really didn't know what else to do. She attached it to her owl and sent it off. Draco probably would not get it until breakfast.  
  
* * *  
  
As it was, Draco was not asleep. Once again, he was unable to. The previous day's horrors were still too fresh in his mind. He lay on his bed, staring unseeingly out at the night sky over Snape Manor and tried to blank out the memory of his parent's vacant gaze. In the early hours of the morning, a beautiful tawny owl flew in the window and landed on his bedside table. He had never seen that particular owl before. He untied the message and quickly scanned the note. He frowned. He could lay odds on which 'kind friend' it was who spilled the beans about his private life to Luna. He would throttle Hermione. He threw the note on the bedside table and curled up on the bed again. The tawny owl, seeing there was no reply, spread its wings and flew off again.  
  
He felt too numb and distracted to know how he felt about Luna's note. The last thing he wanted was to think about having to try and impress a girl who made such a strong impression on him. It was too much on top of everything else.  
  
He sighed and kicked off the covers and got out of bed. He quickly changed into his Quidditch gear and grabbed his broom. The only thing that may tire him enough to make him sleep was a long fly on his Nimbus 2001.  
  
* * *  
  
Draco was scanning the papers later that day when he noticed an article about the Gillamoor survivors. They were all still in hospital over a month later. He frowned as he read on. Apparently they would all need at least another 3 months in order to be well enough to leave and their rehabilitation may go on for years if there were complications from the malnutrition and other abuses they suffered.  
  
The reporter had interviewed some of the survivors and their families. Some of them were from disadvantaged backgrounds and were already unable to meet the medical bills. One survivor said he would go home at the end of the week rather than put his family into any more debt.  
  
Draco bit the inside of his lip as he thought. He got up suddenly as he made a decision and apparated to the hospital where the survivors had been sent. He went directly to the hospital's administrator.  
  
"You want to pay all the survivor's medical bills?" the hospital's financial manager said a bit faintly, not at all sure he had heard correctly. The thin young man before him barely looked old enough to be out of school himself.  
  
"Yes, Mr Misfud. My family can afford it," he said grimly, thinking he'd sell the family home if that's what it took.  
  
"That could run easily into a million sickles over the course of their lives," the administrator said, as though he thought Draco was mad.  
  
Draco shrugged. "That's fine. That's a drop in the ocean of my family's wealth," he said quite honestly. If it were only that much he wouldn't even miss it, he thought.  
  
"Well, I'm sure the families will be very grateful," Marvin Misfud said, his watery brown eyes wide at the boy's casual attitude to such a sum.  
  
"I don't want them to know who I am," Draco said, his pale head snapping up suddenly as he realised the kind of publicity it would create if anyone found out.  
  
"Of course, if you would prefer," he replied respectfully.  
  
"How much has already been spent?" Draco asked, running one hand through his fine hair restlessly.  
  
"In the region of 200,000 sickles," Marvin replied.  
  
"Fine, I'll have Gringotts transfer that amount into the hospital's account. Please send me a bill at the end of each week so that the hospital is paid regularly for their treatment," Draco instructed with impressive authority. For the first time in his young life, he was beginning to realise the real power of wealth.  
  
"Of course, Mr Malfoy" Marvin said.  
  
"Thank you," Draco replied with a nod and left to send his instructions to Gringotts.  
  
Marvin got out a parchment and quill, and composed a confidential owl to Dumbledore.  
  
* * *  
  
Weeks passed with Draco busy with his renovations to the Manor. He avoided Hermione for a few weeks after the note from Luna but Hermione cornered him eventually and made him have it out with her. He argued that it was up to him when he told people about his life and Hermione's argument was that as he was too proud and stiff-necked to do it himself, someone else had to. "At least Luna understands now!" Hermione had yelled. "If you'd just started ignoring her and she didn't know what was happening to you, she would have just assumed you were an arsehole!"  
  
"It was still none of your business!" he'd said back with icy fury. In the end they had had to call a truce and make pax as neither would agree with the other.  
  
Draco spent Christmas at Hogwarts at Dumbledore's invitation. Hermione and Snape were there too. Harry had gone to the Weasleys for lunch but showed up afterwards for the afternoon with Ron, Ginny and Padma in tow. All of them exchanged Christmas gifts with Draco and he was pleased that he'd enlisted Hermione's help in choosing gifts for them that they would all like.  
  
He had received a Broom Care Kit from Harry and Ginny, a book on the Kent Knights from Ron and Padma, a silver tipped quill from Snape and a pair of ice wash jeans from Hermione. Dumbledore and the Hogwarts teachers there that day had given him a Slytherin green pullover which he put on at once.  
  
Hermione was glad to see him relaxed and having a good time for once. As the weak winter light waned, Dumbledore pulled Draco aside for a chat. "A little bird told me that you have generously offered to pay the Gillamoor survivors' medical expenses," Dumbledore said kindly.  
  
"Mr Misfud said he wouldn't tell anyone!" Draco objected, his jaw clenched and the relaxed expression on his face suddenly disappearing.  
  
"He only told me and I haven't told anyone else," Dumbledore said reassuringly. Draco relaxed again marginally.  
  
"I wonder if I would ask you to be generous in another way?" Dumbledore asked. Draco looked at him questioningly. "I wonder if you would donate your time next term to helping restore some morale in the ranks of our Slytherin House?" Dumbledore continued, gesturing to the currently empty Slytherin table that Draco knew so well.  
  
Draco was taken aback. "What would you want me to do?" Draco asked cautiously.  
  
"Oh, act as a mentor for them for a while. As a Prefect last year, a lot of those kids looked up to you. I think the idea is just to help them realise that they can overcome the bad name that the events of last term gave their House and help them find a new, positive identity," Dumbledore said. "Maybe you could spend some time helping with Quidditch coaching and just talking to them one on one or as a group about what happened last term. I think they would open up to you if you gave them a chance," he suggested mildly.  
  
Draco nodded slowly. He could do it certainly, particularly next term as he would still be deferred from Uni until the term after. He really had no idea how he would go about it but something in the idea appealed to him. He did care about his old House and it had been disgraced by recent events, as his own family name had been too. Maybe he could help, who knew?  
  
"I'll try," Draco said finally, with a shrug.  
  
"That's all you need to do," Dumbledore said approvingly with a nod. "Thank you, Draco. I appreciate it greatly."  
  
Dumbledore's approval of Draco was a rather new feeling to the boy and he decided that he liked it. His parents had hated Dumbledore and worked against him. They had thought he was a barmy old has-been and Draco had adopted their judgment. What Draco now understood was how deeply afraid his parents had been of the powerful old wizard.  
  
"Well, how about we go and see if we can find some more of that tasty mulled wine?" Dumbledore suggested and smiled. Draco smiled back and the two headed back to the main group gathered around the Christmas tree close to the main fireplace. 


	13. Chapter Twelve, You're Breaking My Heart

A/N - Kat-tak, you crack me up. I just wanted you to know that. ;)  
  
Chapter Twelve "And the spirit of jealousy came upon him" Numbers 5:14  
  
Draco was rather at a loss to know how to go about doing as Dumbledore asked. He had no idea how to 'mentor' teen-agers. He was still one himself! He decided to scour Hogwarts' library in the holidays but the books weren't advanced enough in that area. He still had his Hogsbridge library pass as he had only deferred from the University and decided to look there.  
  
He was wondering rather aimlessly around looking vaguely at the endless rows of books a few days after New Year when Hermione stumbled upon him. "What are you doing here?" Hermione asked in surprise. She knew he was not due back until next term.  
  
"Do you know where I would find books on mentoring teenagers?" he asked hopefully knowing Hermione tended to know everything.  
  
"Why would you want to know about that?" Hermione asked curiously.  
  
Draco looked uncomfortable. "Dumbledore asked me to help out with the Slytherin kids. You know, help them discover some pride in themselves again or something," he mumbled uncertainly.  
  
Understanding dawned on Hermione's face and she marvelled again at how brilliant Dumbledore was. While Draco was panicking about trying to help these kids, he couldn't be brooding about his own recent past and tragedies. In the meantime, he would probably be a wonderful role model for the Slytherin House. "Well, I think the Muggle science of psychology might be of use to you," she suggested, gently leading him to the Muggle Studies section of the library.  
  
"What's psychology?" he asked as they walked the considerable length of the Hogsbridge library.  
  
"Well, you know the legend of Psyche and Cupid?" Hermione asked.  
  
"Duh! Of course I do. We had to do myth and legend at Hogwarts although I have no idea why," Draco said.  
  
"What does Psyche mean?" Hermione asked.  
  
"The soul," he replied as though Hermione were dense.  
  
"Right. So psychology is like a study or science of the soul - the mind and emotions together," Hermione explained.  
  
"Oh well, that might help," he said hopefully as he followed her up a flight of stairs to the second level.  
  
"Exactly," Hermione said with gentle mockery. "Here, start with this," Hermione said pulling a huge tome off a shelf. The title was Emotional Health in Teenagers.  
  
"Brilliant!" Draco exclaimed. He looked at the shelf where Hermione got the book from and was gratified to find dozens of useful looking titles.  
  
"Okay, I'll leave you to it. I've got work of my own to do," Hermione said with another grin and headed off to another part of the library.  
  
Draco found a table and chair near a window at the end of the row where Hermione had found the useful books. His fair head was bent over a growing pile of books for hours. Draco was intelligent and he was able to absorb a lot of useful information. Any tips and good ideas he found on dealing with troubled teens, he copied down using a copying spell on his quill.  
  
It was lunchtime before he realised it and he noticed there was a lot of noise floating up to the window from the quadrangle below. He glanced down at the scattered groups of students out in the freezing square. A flash of red caught his eye and he suddenly recognised Luna. He began to smile, pleased to see her there but it quickly turned to a frown because he realised that she wasn't alone. She was with a tall, tow-haired boy and they were laughing as they sat together on a bench.  
  
"You look murderous," Hermione commented as she came up his table. She followed his gaze and saw Luna. "Hey, there's Luna! I guess she wouldn't hear me if I called from here," she said, leaning out of the window.  
  
"Who is that with her?" Draco asked, his voice tight.  
  
"Oh, that's Roy. He's very nice," Hermione said lightly, ignoring Draco's compressed lips and clenched jaw.  
  
"How long have they been going out?" he asked, trying to sound casual and failing utterly.  
  
"Um.. I don't know. A fortnight? Three weeks?" she said airily, seating herself opposite him at the small table.  
  
Draco's pale eyes glittered in the winter sunlight as he watched them. "It didn't take her long to pick up someone else, did it?" he sneered.  
  
"For her, it was a record. She only dated you for two weeks and she didn't start dating Roy for another six weeks after you ignored her owl. Roy had been asking her out for the entire two months before she finally gave up on you and said yes to him," Hermione said acerbically.  
  
Draco looked down at the table, his face mask-like. "So much for her saying if I ever needed a friend, she'd be there," he muttered.  
  
"She would still be a friend to you if you wanted her to be," Hermione said flatly. "But you blew it in terms of dating her and you've got no-one to blame but yourself!"  
  
"I had other things on my mind," Draco said, his voice low and controlled.  
  
"Shall I tell you what other things you had on your mind, Draco? Self- pity! When are you going to get over playing the morbidly tragic ex-Death Eater? Poor little rich boy! What's he going to do with himself now that he's obscenely wealthy in his own right and has the world at his fingertips?" Hermione goaded him.  
  
"That's not fair!" Draco said his silvery eyes pinning Hermione like lasers.  
  
"No, it's not but neither is life in case you hadn't noticed. What would it have cost you to send Luna a two line note acknowledging what she'd said and asking for some time? That's all you would have needed to do! She would have understood. You were too proud and selfish to do even that and now you're paying for it. Roy is a nice guy and she's lucky to have him. In fact, she's better off with him than she would have been with you!" Hermione said angrily.  
  
"She obviously didn't like me that much if she was able to take up with someone else so soon," Draco said sulkily, looking back out of the window at the offensive pair.  
  
"That's rubbish Draco and you know it. She waited longer than she should have. Let me ask you something, if you had sent Luna a note like that and had no response at all for six weeks, what would you have thought?" Hermione challenged. "Would you have kept turning down another nice, attractive girl who wanted to go out with you after waiting that long?"  
  
Draco compressed his lips and refused to answer. He knew perfectly well that he would have been very angry if the situation had been reversed and probably would have behaved very badly in one way or another. He couldn't believe how he felt at seeing Luna with another guy. His insides felt like ice but he was furious.  
  
"Look at you! You went out with the girl for only two weeks and you're totally wound up about her dating Roy. You've got no sense of perspective here, Draco," Hermione added, shaking her head.  
  
Draco knew Hermione was right but his guts told him different. Luna had no right sitting out there laughing with some other guy and sitting so close to him. He watched as Roy got up and disappeared leaving Luna alone on the bench. As though Luna suddenly felt his eyes on her, she looked directly up to the library window and straight into his eyes. He wanted to look away but found he couldn't. A few seconds later Roy came back holding two steaming mugs, one of which he gave to Luna. She stood up then and tugged on Roy's arm for them to go inside. With a smile down at her, he allowed himself to be led out of the quadrangle. She turned back once and glanced up at him again but then turned again and hurried away from Draco's stare.  
  
* * *  
  
Draco couldn't work anymore that afternoon. Hermione had come by to ask him to join her and Padma for lunch in the Great Hall. He demurred and went back to Snape Manor with his pile of notes.  
  
He spent the afternoon pacing in front of a sitting room fire while Hermatica and Severus-the-first exchanged worried glances. It was unlike Draco to pace or look nervously excited. That was generally Snape's thing.  
  
Draco could not think of one even slightly convincing reason to get back in touch with Luna at this point. Hermione was right. He had left it far too late and now she was dating someone else. If he contacted her now he would look like a flake. Not only would be look like a flake but she wouldn't be able to go out with him again anyway what with dating Roy. The thought of Luna kissing Roy the way they had once kissed made him feel sick to his stomach and nauseous. He tried not to think about it but the torturous images wouldn't go away.  
  
Draco was not one to give up however and pondered the problem restlessly, his mind churning. Finally late that night he gave up and acknowledged defeat. Hermione was right, his pride and self-absorption had cost him dearly. He fell into an armchair and buried his thin face in one hand.  
  
* * *  
  
Draco got started at Hogwarts with the Slytherins the next week. He succeeded fairly well with the boys but had troubles with the girls. The ones that didn't outright flirt with him would not open up to him at all. He decided they needed another girl mentor.  
  
He puzzled over the problem for a couple of weeks and finally went to Hermione about it. "I need a girl to help the Slytherin girls. They don't relate to me. I can't help them the way I can the boys," he complained to her.  
  
"Don't look at me. I'm a Gryffindor and they'd relate to me even less. Too bad there aren't any Slytherin girls from our year who would have the brains and charisma to do it," Hermione mused.  
  
Draco felt pleased at this back-handed assessment of himself but didn't show it. "Well, I can't think of anyone," he grumbled.  
  
"I can," Hermione said softly.  
  
"Who?" Draco asked disbelievingly.  
  
"Luna," Hermione said simply. "She's got brains, charisma, style, the right family background and wealth - all the things that Slytherin girls would look up to. Better yet, she's kind and has her feet on the ground."  
  
Draco saw immediately that Hermione was right. "I don't want to ask her," Draco mumbled, crossing his thin arms and turning away from Hermione.  
  
"Swallow your pride. She's your best hope. Do it for the Slytherin girls and stop thinking of yourself. Luna is sensible, she won't take it the wrong way," Hermione said.  
  
"I'm sure Roy would just love it," Draco said sarcastically. "Not that I care what he thinks about anything," he added sulkily.  
  
"Don't worry about Roy. Just ask her as a friend," Hermione said.  
  
"We're not friends," Draco said dully.  
  
"She offered her friendship. Take her up on it," Hermione retorted.  
  
"That was a long time ago," he replied rigidly.  
  
"So, you'll have to take a risk," Hermione snapped.  
  
Draco merely pursed his thin lips and refused to discuss it further.  
  
* * *  
  
That night, Draco sat in his study and looked at the blank parchment in front of him. Taking a deep breath and thinking of the bewildered and strangely subdued Slytherin girls, he picked up his quill.  
  
Luna,  
  
I'm sorry to impose but I have a favour to ask of you. My old school Headmaster Dumbledore has asked me to be a mentor to the kids of my old House Slytherin as they have suffered a loss of confidence since Voldemort's recent defeat a few month's ago. He has assigned me the task of helping to re-establish the pride of Slytherin House.  
  
I've succeeded fairly well with the boys but I am struggling to reach the girls. Hermione suggested you would be a good candidate to get through to them. You would need to meet with Dumbledore first to get his approval but I'm sure he would welcome you.  
  
You once told me that if I ever needed a friend to let you know. I need one now and I need your help. Please let me know if you are agreeable.  
  
Draco  
  
* * *  
  
Luna got the note first thing the next morning. She read it with a frown on her delicate features and then sighed deeply. She didn't know whether she could work with Draco on this project. She had been quite bitterly disappointed that he had turned out to have so little real interest in her. She had known when he didn't respond to her note and she didn't hear from him for two months that she had made herself ridiculous holding out any hope that he had really liked her. In reality, she had still not gotten over her disappointment and hurt. She knew it was stupid to feel so strongly about someone she had gone out with only 3 times in the space of a week but she did and that was all there was to it.  
  
She and Roy had broken up only two days ago and not even Hermione knew that. She had no intention of telling anyone just yet, particularly not if she was going to even consider taking up this project. She decided to prevaricate. If she told Draco she wanted to meet Dumbledore and the girls before making up her mind, she could still back out of it if she really couldn't handle it. With a sigh, she reached for her quill. 


	14. Chapter Thirteen, You Stood In My Doorwa...

Chapter Thirteen "This is thy kindness which thou shalt shew unto me" Genesis 20:13  
  
Draco met Luna in Dumbledore's office the next day. Draco had chosen his clothes with particular care. He was wearing his cream trousers and the ice blue cashmere pullover that Padma and Ron had given him for his birthday. The stylish young witch and the genial old wizard were already smiling at each other like old friends when Draco arrived.  
  
"Ah Draco, you arrived just in time for the sorting," Dumbledore said cheerfully, fetching the Sorting Hat from its perch.  
  
"You're going to sort Luna?" Draco asked, frowning in confusion.  
  
"Yes, yes. No point putting her in with a lot of Slytherin girls if she's really a Gryffindor like Hermione, you know," Dumbledore said amiably.  
  
The old wizard placed the beaten up old hat on Luna's head. Before it even touched her dark hair, it yelled, "Slytherin!" After a brief pause it added, "but aren't you a little old to be sorted, my dear?"  
  
"Yes, quite," Luna agreed with a grin and then laughed.  
  
"Excellent, excellent!" Dumbledore said taking the Hat away again. "No doubt there! I dare say you'll be perfect to help us, my dear," Dumbledore said with genuine pleasure. "Do you want to meet the girls now? It's nearly time for their morning break," he added.  
  
"Yes please," Luna said, her green eyes shining with interest. Despite her misgivings, she was being swept along by Dumbledore's enthusiasm.  
  
Most of the Slytherin girls were in the common room. Their chatter stopped the minute that Luna stepped self-confidently into the dungeon room. Her beautiful clothes, chic stylishness and self-assurance captured their interest immediately. She smiled around the room and said, "hello, I'm Luna. I used to go to Beauxbatons but if I'd come to Hogwarts, I would have been a Slytherin too. I like your common room," she commented looking around.  
  
"Did you get your clothes in France?" one seventh year asked, coming straight up to Luna and touching the soft wool of her deep red robe.  
  
"Yes, I did," Luna replied with a warm smile.  
  
"Are you from France?" a second year asked.  
  
"No, I'm English but my parents were diplomats so I went to school over there," Luna said smiling down at timid looking girl.  
  
"So do you speak French?" a fourth year asked.  
  
"Oui," Luna replied unperturbed.  
  
"Why are you visiting?" one shrewd girl asked.  
  
"To find out more about the Slytherin House that I belong in. I hear it's a very special House and I want to know more about it," she replied calmly.  
  
The girls glanced at each other nervously. The boys had gravitated to Draco the minute he came in and weren't paying attention to the girls' conversation. "Yes, it is a special House," another seventh year said, her voice unnaturally high but her gaze defiant.  
  
"Tell me about it," Luna said quietly and took a seat near the fire. The girls slowly gathered round and took turns to talk about their House, gaining courage from each other.  
  
An hour passed by in this way without interruption from school bells. "Well, I'm very proud to belong to Slytherin House," Luna observed at the end of the hour. The girls gathered around her suddenly looked proud too and sat a bit straighter. Their eyes looked brighter and Luna sensed a stronger fellow feeling than had been there before.  
  
"Well, my time is up," Luna said with honest regret. She liked the Slytherin girls.  
  
"Are you going to come back?" one small first year asked hopefully. The other girls all looked expectantly at Luna.  
  
"Yes, of course," she replied with a smile realising that she was already looking forward to it. "Later this week probably. I can't lose touch with my Slytherin girlfriends now that I've found them," Luna said with a wink. The girls laughed and waved as she left.  
  
Once in the hallway Luna turned to Draco and said sincerely, "thank you for asking me" and then went back up to Dumbledore's office to accept the task with a thankful heart.  
  
* * *  
  
Hermione laughed and laughed when she heard Draco's account of Luna being a Slytherin. "I knew it!" Hermione said. "I'm glad you did the right thing and asked her. I know it was probably hard for you but it's worked out very well," she said more soberly.  
  
"She barely spoke to me," Draco said gloomily.  
  
"Give her time. She probably feels just as self-conscious as you," Hermione said archly.  
  
"She doesn't look self-conscious," he grumbled.  
  
"Neither do you," Hermione said pointedly.  
  
"I need to get rid of Roy," Draco said calculatingly, his pale grey eyes narrowed.  
  
"No you don't," Hermione said flatly.  
  
"Why?" he asked, surprised.  
  
"Because they broke up two days before you contacted her about the Slytherin girls," Hermione said having only found out herself that day from Roy.  
  
A very wide grin spread slowly over Draco's face.  
  
* * *  
  
Draco decided he really needed to go and see Luna about the Slytherin girls the next day. He knew her parents were based at the French Wizarding Embassy and that she lived there rather than on the University campus. He decided to arrive unannounced in a usual breach of his very formal etiquette. He didn't want to give Luna a chance to make excuses not to see him.  
  
The French Wizarding Embassy looked rather like a slightly smaller version of Versailles. It was all gilt, silk, marble, polished wood, statues and mirrors. The Head House Elf led Draco into a small sitting room and went to fetch Luna.  
  
She came in a short time later in black trousers and a jade knit top. She almost looked casually dressed. "Hi Draco, would you like tea or coffee?" she asked with perfect composure.  
  
"Tea please," he replied sitting down again, having stood up when she entered the room.  
  
Draco noted that she seemed rather subdued. "How can I help you?" she said, passing his tea over to him.  
  
"I just... er. wanted to discuss some things we could do for the Slytherin kids. You're working with the girls and me with the boys, I thought we could organise some things for the whole House to do together," Draco improvised.  
  
Luna nodded. "What kind of things?" she asked quietly, sipping her tea.  
  
"I'm not really sure," he said honestly. "I thought we could throw some ideas around."  
  
"Well, how about some field trips to places where Slytherins are making a positive difference? Or maybe to some sites that are historically important to Slytherin House in an affirmative way? How about we get some Slytherins who are out in the workforce making a constructive difference to talk to them?" she suggested thoughtfully.  
  
Draco thought they were brilliant ideas and he forgot about the real reason he came in a rush of enthusiasm. They talked animatedly for a solid hour discussing ideas and making plans. They made some definite arrangements for the following week and Draco did up a letter to Dumbledore with parchment and a quill Luna provided for him to get permission.  
  
After the tawny owl took off with the parchment there was an awkward silence. "Well, I'll see you at Hogwarts next week then," Luna said finally.  
  
"Er. yes," Draco agreed but didn't get up.  
  
"Would you like some more tea?" Luna asked after another awkward pause.  
  
"No. thanks," Draco replied. He looked at the impassive face of the girl opposite him and caught himself staring. She was amazing to look at and he never tired of it. "Luna," he began and then paused uneasily. "I just wanted to. er. apologise for not. um. replying to that nice owl you sent me so long ago." He paused and glanced at her to see if she was going to say anything. Her face was still completely expressionless and she stayed silent. "I know I should have owled you even just to say 'thanks' or something but to be honest, I really wasn't in a good place just then," he said, mumbling the last part slightly. She was still silent. "Aren't you going to say anything?" he asked finally when the silence stretched.  
  
"No. I knew you weren't in a good place at the time. That's why I sent the owl," she replied neutrally.  
  
"Yes, well. I just wanted to apologise," he muttered.  
  
"Fine," Luna said impassively.  
  
"Why did you break up with Roy?" he suddenly heard himself asking. He cringed inwardly. What the hell on earth prompted him to ask something like that, he berated himself?  
  
"The same reasons I break up with all the men I date, I guess," Luna sighed and shrugged her elegant one-shouldered shrug.  
  
"What are those?" he asked genuinely curious.  
  
"I don't know," she replied shortly but honestly, her tone mild. "Does it matter?"  
  
Draco couldn't think of a reply to that so he stood up to leave. The afternoon had not gone as he had intended at all. Luna had given him no encouragement. There was not even a hint of flirtatiousness on her part and although she had been gracious, she hadn't been overly friendly either.  
  
Draco saw a streak of movement along the back of the gilt and silk couch Luna was sitting on. Luna turned and with both hands, picked up something sleek, sinuous and pale. It took a couple of seconds for Draco to figure out that Luna was holding a white ferret. He stared at it. The creature did not only hold bad memories of an incident at Hogwarts in fourth year but his animagus if he become one was a ferret. The creature stared at him with bright eyes. Luna brought its triangular little face to hers and kissed its nose. To Draco's amazement, the animal didn't bite her and rested peacefully in her small hands.  
  
"So. er. are we back to being friends again?" Draco asked hopefully as a last stab attempt to break through Luna's reserve.  
  
"We never were friends, Draco. We only dated for two weeks," Luna said, putting the animal in her lap and stroking its glossy fur.  
  
"Oh," Draco said, now completely nonplussed. "You're still angry with me, aren't you?" he said with resignation, pushing his hands into his trouser pockets as he stood looking down at the girl.  
  
"No," Luna said truthfully.  
  
"Then why are you so different? I mean, why are you so distant?" he said with a frown.  
  
"You mean, why aren't I flirting with you if I'm not angry with you?" Luna said directly.  
  
"Yeah, I guess so," he shrugged.  
  
A smile without warmth flickered across her face. "Draco, if you were really interested in me there is no way you would have ignored my owl for six weeks no matter what else was happening in your life. Why would I flirt with you now knowing that?" she said softly, still stroking the ferret.  
  
"Luna, that's not true," he began, his cheekbones flushing slightly.  
  
"Yes, it is," she interrupted him calmly.  
  
"Luna, if we had been going out longer. well, then. it would have been different but. it was just bad timing, that's all," he said a trifle helplessly, not sure how to extricate himself. She didn't say anything, just lowered her dark head as she watched her ferret lie in her lap. He looked at the silky, down bent head with frustration. "I don't know what else to say," he said finally.  
  
"You don't have to say anything. Actions speak louder than words anyway. The bottom line is, you didn't like me enough for it to be worth my while," she said, picking up her ferret and standing up. Draco recognised the unmistakable signal for him to go.  
  
Draco was gob-smacked. He'd never had a girl tell him that he wasn't worth her while before. His heart started pounding. "So, that's it?" he said disbelievingly.  
  
"Don't blame me, Draco. You made that decision yourself weeks and weeks ago," she said coolly and taking her ferret, she left the room - a pointed breach of etiquette that sent a clear message to him.  
  
Compressing his thin lips, he apparated from the empty room. 


	15. Chapter Fourteen, Want to Make You Near ...

Chapter Fourteen "but my heart waketh: it is the voice of my beloved that knocketh, saying, Open to me, my sister, my love, my dove, my undefiled" Song of Solomon 5:2  
  
"Oh yeah, you fucked it up really well. Even now that she's rid of Roy she wants nothing to do with you," Hermione said unsympathetically when Draco relayed what happened to Hermione. "You can't say that you don't deserve it."  
  
"For goodness sake! What's this bullshit about 'I don't like her enough for it to be worth her while'? I saw her three times in one week before everything blew up in my face again. Doesn't that tell her something?" Draco fumed.  
  
"Yeah, you wanted to get into her knickers really badly," Hermione said flatly, "taking into account your reaction to her owl or rather - total lack of it!" Draco glared at Hermione, his gaze furious. Hermione always found his colourless stare un-nerving when he was angry. Not as un-nerving as Severus' smouldering fury but bad enough. "You don't see it from her point of view. The way it looks to her is that she was good enough for you when things were okay but the minute things got really rough, you didn't want to know her. That tells her that you don't trust her or think she's important enough to share your troubles with or even that you want to open up to her. All that then leaves her to be is a sexy diversion in your life and I don't think she wants to be only that to you. I think she's probably dead tired of men only wanting that from her!" Hermione explained annoyed.  
  
Draco stared at Hermione. He had never thought about it like that before but he had a horrible feeling Hermione was right. "What men?" he growled.  
  
Hermione sighed angrily. "The Roys of the world, of course!" she replied.  
  
Draco clenched his fists. Roy had better not have gone anywhere near her knickers otherwise Draco would hex him in a way that he'd never recover from. His parents had taught him some useful things after all, he contemplated.  
  
* * *  
  
The next week, Draco and Luna took the Slytherins on a field trip to meet a distinguished medi-wizard who was making enormous break throughs in treating wizarding diseases. He was a Slytherin and so was his entire research team.  
  
Draco did not talk much to Luna and she avoided meeting his eye as much as possible. The students were back at Hogwarts by lunchtime all chattering excitedly. Draco and Luna left them to their afternoon classes and headed back to Dumbledore's office to report on the success of the trip.  
  
Dumbledore looked very pleased with them both. "Well done. This is working out even better than I could have hoped. I knew you both had it in you," he chuckled. "One day young Draco, you will need to share your story with the Slytherin kids and tell them what you learned," he added more seriously, his blue eyes resting kindly on the boy before him.  
  
Draco's back stiffened. He found it hard enough to speak to a friend like Hermione about any of it, let alone all the Slytherins. The problem was, he admitted, that the truth made him look very stupid and gullible. In reality, anyone else could see Draco was simply raised wrongly and no-one would judge him harshly for that but Draco judged himself harshly. In that moment of revelation he also understood that he didn't want to discuss any of it with Luna in case she judged him negatively. He didn't want Luna to think anything bad about him. The thought made him flinch inside. He suddenly realised he cared desperately what she thought of him. He finally grasped that by not wanting her to think badly of him, he had behaved so badly that she had ended up thinking he didn't care about her really at all. If he'd been honest from the outset, she probably would have a much better opinion of him today.  
  
He made the decision as he sat in Dumbledore's office to invite Luna to Malfoy Manor for lunch that weekend and show her the Dark Arts room, his Dark Mark and anything else she was curious about. Although the thought made him feel slightly sick, at least then she could make up her own mind. He'd also 'fess up to why he hadn't told her about it all before now - just stupid pride and the fear that she'd end up hating him for his brief Death Eater career and tainted family. He hadn't been able to face her rejection of him because of those things but he was in no better position now than if she had.  
  
He felt terrified.  
  
* * *  
  
Luna was half-tempted to turn down the invitation to lunch from Draco but it was worded in such a way as to sound like a 'working lunch' about the Slytherins. "There are some things I can show you which may help you understand the problems some of the Slytherins kids have," the note had said. In the end, she had agreed more out of curiosity as to what these 'things' were than any other consideration.  
  
Reluctantly she got dressed to go. She wore a subdued black wool skirt with a cream cashmere top. She knew that if she wore certain colours and outfits, men reacted differently to her so she chose the most conservative thing in her wardrobe. She didn't feel flirtatious and she didn't want to look it.  
  
Draco also looked subdued in navy trousers and a white shirt when she arrived. "I wanted to show you something," he said, frowning slightly and seeming distracted. Luna merely nodded.  
  
He led her to his study and to the wall behind the desk. He said something in a language Luna didn't know and a door appeared in the wall. "The moment you step through the door, say this counter curse otherwise you'll be knocked unconscious," Draco said firmly and told her the words.  
  
Luna followed Draco through long tunnels under the Malfoy Manor until they finally reached their destination. "I've only been in here once," he said quietly and taking a deep breath, he opened up the doorway into the Dark Arts chamber.  
  
There were no Aurors present that day so Draco and Luna were alone once inside. Luna looked around and frowned at the titles of the books in the main library room. Draco didn't move from that section so Luna passed under the archway into the dungeon area. She didn't stay there long. She glanced at him as she passed through the library again to get to the other archway. She stayed longer in the other section but didn't linger.  
  
When she came back she merely looked at him questioningly. With another sigh Draco pulled up the sleeve of his shirt on his left arm and showed her the inner forearm. The first thing Luna noticed was how thin Draco's arm was. He had the bones of a man, strong looking and large but little flesh clung to them. She could see every sinew and muscle move under his translucent skin when he moved his arm. The next thing she saw was an ugly black mark. It had a definite pattern and she leaned closer to look at it.  
  
She glanced up at him blankly, never having seen the Dark Mark before. "It's the Dark Mark, Luna. I was a Death Eater," he said flatly, his face suddenly looking weary. "This is my parent's Dark Arts chamber," he said, nodding at the room generally.  
  
She stared at him silently for a long time, a pang of fear slicing through her that didn't show on her face. "Why did you bring me down here?" she asked quietly.  
  
"I wanted you to know the truth about my family and about my past," he said tiredly, going to sit down on one of the library's couches as though suddenly too drained to stand. He pushed his hand through his fine, pale hair and rested his forehead on the heel of his hand. His elbow rested on his knee so he didn't have to look at her.  
  
"How long were you a Death Eater?" she asked gently.  
  
He shrugged. "I don't know. Three months?" he guessed.  
  
"Why did you do it?" she said, talking a step closer to him.  
  
"To please my parents, it really wouldn't have been worth fighting them about it. Besides, I'd been brought up to think of the Death Eaters as glamorous and exciting and powerful. I wanted to do it. I thought their cause was a noble one and right too," he muttered.  
  
"What changed your mind?" she asked.  
  
"Gillamoor, I saw it for myself. By then I had already figured out the glamour and power that I thought the Death Eaters had was a sham but I would have stuck with it if I hadn't found out about Gillamoor," he said sighing and sitting back on the couch, slouching miserably.  
  
Luna had heard about Gillamoor via the wizarding newspapers and Hermione's involvement in finding it. "You knew nothing about it?" she questioned.  
  
Draco shook his head. "I was only an initiate. Only the inner circle knew about it until the night it was raided by Aurors," Draco said expressionlessly. It seemed like his whole life revolved around that night and the fall out from it nowadays.  
  
"What are you going to do with this room?" Luna asked.  
  
"You haven't seen the press coverage have you?" he asked wryly.  
  
Luna shook her head. "I don't read that kind of press," she replied honestly.  
  
"It's being dismantled by Aurors. I told the Ministry about it as soon as my parents were caught. I don't want this stuff on the Malfoy premises ever again," he said bitterly.  
  
"It really has been rough for you, hasn't it? I knew your parents were in Azkaban but Hermione didn't really tell me the details of why," Luna explained.  
  
"Do you hate me for being gullible?" Draco asked, his tone grim.  
  
"Gullible?" Luna repeated questioningly.  
  
"Gullible to Voldemort's lies and gullible about thinking the Death Eaters were glamorous," he explained.  
  
"No. Voldemort has fooled wizards much older and more experienced in the ways of the world than yourself," Luna said simply. "Why would you doubt what your parents told you all those years and why would you not think that fighting for a cause you thought noble and right was the appropriate thing to do? All the cloak and daggery would have just made it more thrilling."  
  
He looked at her consideringly from out of his light eyes for a long moment and then stood up and walked over to her until he was almost touching her. She didn't step away, merely looked up at him. He placed one hand on her arm and bent his head to kiss her. She didn't pull away but she didn't respond immediately either. He put both arms around her and pulled her against himself. He couldn't believe how good and right it felt to have her back in his arms. He kissed her rather greedily and her lips parted under his. Gently he pushed his tongue into her mouth and held her tighter against his slender form. He slid his hands under her cashmere top, eager to feel the soft smooth skin of her torso. Luna did likewise, moving away slightly so she could undo his shirt buttons. They came away easily and she ran her hands up to his chest. Suddenly she pulled away and looked at the spot where her right hand was resting. A large, wide scar ran across his pectoral muscle. It was deep enough to leave the dent that she had felt.  
  
"What's that?" she asked, staring at it.  
  
"A scar from my Death Eater initiation," he said, feeling self-conscious.  
  
"What did they do, cut out your heart?" she asked sarcastically.  
  
"I think they came close," he replied, just as ironically. "They needed blood for the contract I had to sign. They probably took a good litre," he added.  
  
Her hands were unusually diminutive even for her petite build, and the small fingers traced his scar almost caressingly. She looked thoughtful as she took all this information in. "A blood contract," she murmured. "It can't be broken until you or the other wizard dies."  
  
"That's why the Mark is still there," he clarified.  
  
"Yes," she said distractedly, her fingers still moving restlessly over his scar.  
  
With one hand, he lifted her chin and lowered his mouth to hers again. It didn't take long for the rest of their clothes to come off. Draco only surfaced long enough to mutter "incendio", pointing his wand at the library fireplace before leading her over to the library's couch.  
  
An hour or so later Luna looked drowsily at Draco and said, "I thought you were supposed to be showing me something to help me understand the Slytherin kids."  
  
"I did," he replied grimly, his long fingers tracing Luna's spine caressingly. "This Dark Arts chamber and my Dark Mark are what we're up against in trying to restore Slytherin pride. About one in five of those kid's parents are in Azkaban because they are Death Eaters. This is the reality of the evil some of these kids were probably brought up to take for granted. We need to show them the destructiveness of it so that they are not sucked in by visions of glory and glamour and lies like I was," he explained, gesturing to the chamber around them.  
  
"You don't think it's a little sick that the first time we have sex is in a Dark Arts chamber?" Luna said dryly, her fingers absently tracing the scar again.  
  
"I didn't notice where we were actually," he said seriously, his silvery eyes gazing intensely down at her as he shifted his body to lean over and kiss her.  
  
"I'm so glad we didn't bother to dress again," Luna murmured as she felt his erection pressing into her thigh once more. She moved slightly so she could put her arms around him.  
  
"Mmmm. I'd say we probably won't bother to get dressed for quite some time," he muttered as he leant down to capture her lips once more. 


	16. Chapter Fifteen, I'll Be Right There Bab...

Chapter Fifteen "but love covereth all sins" Proverbs 10:12  
  
Hermione was pleased to see Luna and Draco so much together after that. They didn't live in each other's pockets, Luna had University and Draco had seemingly endless mysterious commitments regarding Malfoy Manor, the Ministry, the Slytherin kids and goodness only knew what else. However, whenever there was a social get together Draco brought Luna along which was just as well as Hermione wanted to include Luna in her group of friends but had been hesitant because of the previous awkwardness between her and Draco. As it was, it all worked out well for everybody and Hermione was content.  
  
Snape wasn't particularly content to come back to her cottage after a day's teaching at Hogwarts and find the place full of her friends a few times a week however but they generally cleared out by suppertime, Draco with a smirk in his and Hermione's general direction which irritated Snape considerably. Snape usually responded by raising his eyebrows slightly at Luna when the girl wasn't looking and couldn't be embarrassed by it and that usually pulled Draco into line very fast.  
  
The semester wound to a close surprisingly fast and Draco made plans to move back into Malfoy Manor. The Aurors were finished their work, the Dark Arts store had been completely cleaned out and Draco could go back without tripping over Aurors constantly. Hermatica and Severus-the-first had been sad to see him go but as Hermione and Snape were moving in just for the holidays, they had that to look forward to.  
  
"Although," Severus-the-first said, "those two are all over each other like a rash mostly so it's not as though we'll see much of them. I really prefer to give them their privacy," he concluded archly.  
  
"Well Draco is exactly the same whenever Luna is visiting him here which is often enough nowadays," Hermatica replied. "We keep having to duck out of the room," she complained.  
  
"We can keep ourselves occupied," Severus-the-first said taking Hermatica's hand and pulling her into his arms.  
  
"They're at it again," Luna commented as she and Draco walked into the room, nodding her dark head at the pair in the painting.  
  
"Oh, they're always at it. It can get downright embarrassing," Draco replied with a scowl, as though he and Luna had not just been kissing in another room.  
  
* * *  
  
Draco moved back to Malfoy Manor the day before Hogwarts broke up for the semester. Hermione and Snape were moving into Snape Manor for the 2 week break so Draco didn't want to be around. He had enrolled for next semester at Hogsbridge but like Hermione, decided not to choose his major immediately.  
  
The first thing Draco did once he'd moved all his belongings back was to visit what used to be the Dark Arts room. The hexes had now been taken off as well as the passwords. Wherever there was a door, you could see it immediately. The pit in the one tunnel had been filled in and the iron gate taken away completely.  
  
He went quickly down the passages, amazed at how benign they now looked lit with ordinary torches that threw out a friendly, warm, yellow light. The doorway into the actual room was now open and when he stepped through the only thing to see was empty bookshelves, a cold fireplace and the couches. The dungeon has been stripped of its torture instruments and all that was left was bare stone walls and floor. The Dark Arts storeroom was also bare and left with only with empty shelves, glass cases and work benches.  
  
As he looked around, a plan began to form in Draco's mind. He decided to talk to Luna about it first and if she liked it, he'd then take it to Dumbledore.  
  
* * *  
  
Luna nodded slowly once Draco finished explaining it all. "It could work," she said thoughtfully. "It would take a fair bit of commitment and tolerance on your part but it could work."  
  
They decided to take it to Dumbledore that day before the new semester began.  
  
"You want to have some of the Slytherin students come and stay with you over the holidays?" Dumbledore repeated with a mixture of surprise and pleasure.  
  
"Yes, we'll do up the rooms under the Manor and that would be their own place. There could be two sections for their beds, and one for entertainment and hanging out. Of course, it would only be the kids whose parents are now in Azkaban. There wouldn't be room for any more than that anyway but it's better than being stuck at school every single holiday. The Malfoy House Elves could take care of them, they're always complaining they don't have enough to do with just one Malfoy there most of the time anyway," Draco said with rare enthusiasm.  
  
"I like the idea but it will take a lot of work and planning on your part," Dumbledore said warningly. "It's not something to take on lightly. These kids will be depending on you and will want a lot of your attention."  
  
"During the holidays, that's not a problem," Draco said with a shrug.  
  
"Okay, I'll make the announcement over dinner tonight as those that are here for the holidays now are the ones who would be staying with you next holidays. Between now and then, you've got a lot of work to do," Dumbledore said with a smile.  
  
* * *  
  
Draco and Luna began making the arrangements. Hermione helped with the practical aspects. Firstly, they cleaned up all the moss and fungus and damp in the two rooms they were using for the boys and girls' dorms using powerful spells. The Dark Arts storeroom had to be cleared of all the shelves and cabinets. Then they moved in the beds. Green quilts with black trim for the boys and green quilts with silver trim for the girls. The lighting was silver torches with naked flame to provide both a comforting light and some warmth. A fireplace was installed in the old dungeon but the other two rooms already had them. Green, black and silver Persian rugs went on the stone floors in each room.  
  
The shelves and couches were left in the old library. The shelves were filled with a better selection of books than the previous selection had been. Pictures were hung on all the walls of various innocuous but beautiful landscapes. Draco had a DVD and TV installed with another generator down there which would be a novelty to the mainly pure-blood Slytherins. He also had a Quidditch pitch set up on one of the larger lawns.  
  
He set up paintings to make sure the passwords were used for each dorm as he didn't want to be answerable to Dumbledore if the kids got up to mischief in each other's dorms. "Killjoy," Luna observed, amused.  
  
"Hey, I don't care but I'm not sending any pregnant Slytherin girls back to Dumbledore at the end of the holidays," Draco said flatly. Luna just grinned, and Hermione rolled her eyes and shook her head.  
  
"Are they going to eat down here or in one of the dining rooms?" Hermione asked, casting a practical eye around her once they were nearly finished the alterations.  
  
"They can choose. That's the point. I want them to have more freedom here than they would at Hogwarts, as if they're at home. If they want to eat pizza in front of a DVD for dinner, they can. If they want roast beef in the dining room with fine china and crystal, they can," he shrugged.  
  
"I bet they live on pizza," Hermione said drily.  
  
"And hot chips and sweets," Luna added with another grin.  
  
"And soft drink and crisps," Hermione sighed.  
  
"And biscuits and cake," Luna continued with a laugh.  
  
"It's only for 2 weeks! Then they go back to school and Dumbledore can stuff them with vegetables and milk again," Draco protested. "I want them to relax and have fun and just be kids."  
  
"No school bells," Luna mused.  
  
"And no uniform," Hermione added.  
  
"No set meal times," Luna added.  
  
"And probably no homework will get done either," Hermione added, glaring bossily at Draco.  
  
"Hey, then it will be on their heads," Draco shrugged, unmoved. "We'd better put a table in one corner for the kids who do want to get their homework done actually," Draco said, looking around the old library room which Hermione had re-named the 'rec' room.  
  
"It will be a wreck too, after two weeks of kids eating and lying around in here," Luna observed.  
  
"That's what House Elves are for," Draco said indolently.  
  
Draco got a beautiful antique ebony table with four matching chairs out of the family's storage and put it in one corner of the rec room with a silver lamp on it. "It's a good thing our family library is so vast. It would easily rival the one at Hogwarts so the kids won't be disadvantaged in doing their homework here rather than at school," he said thoughtfully.  
  
"Most of the homework is out of the text books anyway," Hermione shrugged.  
  
"Trust you to remember that," Draco said coolly.  
  
Finally, everything was done. "We should have a. um. dorm-warming," Hermione suggested.  
  
"A what?" Draco asked.  
  
"You know, a party to celebrate," she explained.  
  
"Oh, okay," Draco said vaguely and sent out the invitations that evening.  
  
"What are you going to call this place?" Harry asked, when he arrived the next evening carrying a case of Butterbeer as his contribution.  
  
"Good question," Luna said with a nod. "You should name it, Draco."  
  
Draco thought hard. "I can't think of anything," he admitted, that kind of thing not being his forte.  
  
"How about 'Serpent's Den'?" Luna suggested.  
  
"Perfect!" Hermione said with a definite nod. Harry liked it too and so did Ginny, who had arrived with him.  
  
"Okay. You make the sign Luna as you thought of it," Draco said with one of his rare smiles.  
  
Luna got out her wand and in letters of gleaming silver, put 'Serpent's Den' over the main doorway.  
  
Dumbledore arrived early before the party was in full swing and inspected the place. "Well done, Draco. The Slytherins will love it," he nodded with pleasure, his blue eyes twinkling with approval. He trotted happily all over the dorms and rec room, exclaiming over the décor and the DVD player. "I've got one in my private rooms at Hogwarts," he confided to Luna and Draco. They both glanced at each other then laughed out loud.  
  
All the Hogwarts teachers popped in during the evening, including Snape who inspected the premises with his sharp eyes, stalking from room to room and finally expressed his approval. "The study table was your idea, wasn't it?" Snape said to Hermione, his dark eyes flicking to it.  
  
"Yes it was!" Draco said, overhearing. Hermione laughed.  
  
Ron and Padma were quite impressed too as were Seamus and Dean who had popped in out of courtesy but stayed to enjoy themselves. "Can you believe we're having a good time partying in the Malfoy Manor?" Seamus whispered to Dean.  
  
"It is a bit surreal," Dean admitted.  
  
Parvati and Lavendar were there too with their Hogsbridge boyfriends. Unfortunately, Lavendar was with Roy - Luna's ex-boyfriend. She had been after him for ages but he had been too keen on Luna to pay any attention to her until Luna had finally dumped him and he'd given up on her. He made a show of holding Lavendar's hand and whispering in her ear to annoy Luna but she just felt amused.  
  
Roy didn't as yet know that Luna was now seeing Draco again. As soon as Draco noticed the by-play, he made a point of going up to Luna and kissing her full on the lips. Roy looked gob-smacked and stared at them with his mouth open in a rather unattractive manner. He was not exactly pleased either. Luna was a bit embarrassed as she was not used to public displays of affection but she wasn't about to push Draco away. Draco stuck closely by her side for the rest of the night and occasionally shot dark glances Roy's way. Roy himself tried to stay out of the same room Luna and Draco was in as though he'd rather not see them together.  
  
"Serves the pillock right," Draco muttered menacingly in Luna's ear, glaring at Roy from across the room.  
  
"It's not like you to pout Draco," Luna teased.  
  
"I don't know what Lavendar was thinking, bringing that dickhead here," he muttered.  
  
"I do," Luna said with contempt. "She was trying to upset me. You know, show me that she 'got' him after all. She can have him!" Luna said with a laugh.  
  
"I don't know why you ever went out with him to begin with," Draco said, finally coming to the point.  
  
Luna looked at him, examining his tense face. "Because he was there," she said with honesty.  
  
"What kind of reason is that?" Draco protested with a frown.  
  
She sighed. "He was there and he was persistent and. you weren't," she added gently, looking him dead in the eye.  
  
Draco didn't bother to reply. He just bent his fair head and kissed her again. He had had enough butterbeer to manage public affection but it wasn't likely to happen when he was sober. 


	17. Chapter Sixteen, Why You Gotta Tell Me I...

Chapter Sixteen "Our necks are under persecution" Lamentations 5:5  
  
For some reason, Draco wasn't expecting his first semester back at University to be difficult. In retrospect, he realized he had been naive. He knew the gutter press that had been following his family's story from the time his parent's had been captured by Aurors all through the unpleasant revelations in their trial and sentencing. Even the story of his Dark Arts chamber had gotten out and was splashed all over the trashy press. His colouring and name were so distinctive that right from the first day of the semester, the other students knew who he was.  
  
Whispers followed him in the corridors and lecture theatres. Groups of students stared at him as he walked past. No-one wanted to know him and he was lucky that Hermione had already taken him under her wing and introduced her to all her own friends, otherwise he would have had no-one to sit with in lectures or at lunch.  
  
Luna made herself somewhat of an out-cast by being seen with him but she seemed unfazed. She hadn't tried for popularity and was undismayed by its loss. She was so pretty and so unusual that men on campus had been attracted to her like bees to honey. Women had liked her unself-conscious friendliness and sense of humour. Being seen with Draco however made her old admirers avoid her least the Malfoy taint spread from her to them too. She barely seemed to notice.  
  
Draco was grateful that Luna was unimpressed by the peer pressure brought to bear on her. The girl was unused to social ostracism but due to her innate self-confidence was able to bear it easily. Just as her association with him made her an outsider so his association with her brought him the grudging envy and admiration of the other men on campus. They cloaked their envy with the taunts and exclusion they already threw his way.  
  
Hermione was genuinely angry at the way perfect strangers on campus treated Draco. She confronted anyone she saw gossip or taunt him and they learned not to do it when the hot tempered and sharp tongued Hermione was around. Luna just used freezing scorn and contempt which in some ways was more effective. A scathing, cold look down the girl's pretty nose would shut any bloke up and a look of disgust at any group of gossiping girls would immediately make them feel ashamed and self-conscious enough to stop.  
  
Whispers of, "wasn't he a Death Eater too?" and "he only turned himself in to avoid being persecuted and punished" and "I bet he's still involved in an underground Death Eater movement" and "it's a good thing he was too young for Azkaban although I still think he should be there" followed him around constantly. Worse were the rumours that he had turned his parents in himself so he could inherit their wealth early. "Poor little rich boy, what a pity to inherit all that money so young!" was hissed behind his back but when he turned around a group of students would be gazing innocently at him.  
  
He learned to ignore it and not even turn around when he heard it. In fact, he had heard it so many times by the end of the first week that he often didn't even really hear it anymore.  
  
At the end of the first term, Draco and Luna hosted their first holidays for the Slytherins kids at Malfoy Manor. It went extremely well. The kids were relaxed and loved their hide away under the Manor. In their gratitude to have a home away from school, they all behaved very well. Draco coached those who were interested in Quidditch and Luna took the girls shopping. They had picnics in the Malfoy woodlands and watched all of Draco's DVDs. Luna was pleased to see that they were looking happier than they had been last semester. For most of those kids, the events of 7 months ago would put a dent in their life forever. After all, they had all lost their parents. However, they seemed to have begun the healing process and were in a better place than the previous semester.  
  
When Luna and Draco got back to Hogsbridge, Draco saw a notice that a new Seeker was needed for the University's team. The previous Seeker was injured and would not be playing that term. After that term she graduated anyway so they needed a replacement. Draco decided to try out. He knew he was not popular but it was not a popularity contest and although he wasn't sure he was good enough to get it, there was no harm in trying.  
  
The old Seeker was at the tryouts nursing her injured right arm. "Nerve damage," she explained to the hopefuls. "Not so easy to mend even for wizarding medicine."  
  
Draco looked at the other hopefuls. There were 5 other boys and 3 girls. He had never seen any of them play.  
  
The coach put each of them through their paces individually using golf balls and bludgers, and asking them to perform particular maneuvers mid- air. Draco was last and knew it was quite deliberate. He had not been welcome on the pitch at all. The others had stood apart from him, and eyed him up and down with dislike.  
  
Draco didn't think any of the others were particularly good. They weren't bad but none of them were up to Harry's standard which wasn't surprising as Harry was now the national team's Seeker and considered the best in Britain.  
  
Finally he was reluctantly given his turn. He kicked off feeling a bit resigned. He had a feeling that no matter how well he performed he would not get the place on the team. The minute he felt the warm Spring air on his face and through his hair however, he forgot that he was trying out for a team that didn't want him and just enjoyed the flying.  
  
He found the exercises with the golf ball easy although it was obvious that the coach had put a more difficult enchantment on the golf ball for him than for the others. The maneuvers were harder but not overly so as he had used them all before on numerous occasions. This was a breeze compared to flying against Harry, Draco thought honestly.  
  
It wasn't until later that he realized he had been up in the air probably twice as long as the others. When he finally landed again, he climbed off his broom without any real hope of being offered the place. The others were staring at him with the same hostility but with anger mixed in too. It was a shock for Draco to realize the anger was based in envy. They all obviously thought he was better than them.  
  
They were right. The coach reluctantly announced that Draco had the position as Seeker. He didn't want to give the notorious rich boy the Seeker role but he desperately wanted to continue the University's winning streak and it was obvious to the coach that Draco was even better than the girl he was replacing and she was good enough to go pro after her study if she wanted to.  
  
As he went off to the shower rooms he reflected that being beaten by Harry for seven solid years had actually been excellent training. After all, if you're consistently beaten by the best in the nation it was not quite the same thing as being beaten by someone of only average skill. Being forced to work hard just to lose respectably (if such a thing were possible) had obviously made him a rather good Seeker. Good enough for Hogsbridge and good enough for the Kent Knights.  
  
* * *  
  
The coach's decision was very unpopular, until the first match.  
  
There was a strong wind that day. It could be an advantage or a disadvantage depending on his strategy, Draco thought. His keen grey eyes searched the other team before they lifted into the air. They were from Hogsford University, their sister school and biggest rivals. If they defeated them today, it would be very hard for them to catch up and challenge them again later in the season. He was dressed in the navy and silver Quidditch uniform of Hogsbridge which was a perfect foil for his pale colouring. Luna thought rather smugly that he looked very handsome as she watched from the stands. She wasn't the only one who thought so but the other Hogsbridge girls were still snubbing him.  
  
The Hogsford team was in black and gold which made it hard to follow the players as the team colours were so similar. Their Seeker was thin and light-boned like himself; it was a typical Seek physique. The Beaters were strong-looking with large biceps but no larger than those of the Hogsbridge team. The Chasers were both small, fine-boned girls built for speed and their Keeper had a good-natured face but shrewd eyes. On the whole, they looked like a good team, Draco assessed but then again he would expect no less from Hogsford.  
  
The whistle blew and the quaffle was tossed as the bludgers and snitch rose unaided into the air. Draco kept an eye on the tiny gold streak that was the snitch but it was quickly gone. He was in no hurry to find it. His strategy was to allow the Chasers to gain a good lead while he searched.  
  
Hogsford scored first and the Hogsbridge crowd groaned. Draco wasn't concerned nor was he distracted by the crowd. He allowed the noise to fade out as his eyes darted across the oval, concentrating with all his senses. He crossed his arms as he sat on his broom high over the stands and hovered as he watched the play. The other Seeker was wasting a lot of energy flying around which surprised Draco. It was more sensible to conserve your strength for when you could actually see the snitch.  
  
He took a leisurely tour of the stadium, dodging the odd bludgers which were hit with vicious ferocity his way. He was sure his own team hit a bludger in his direction at one point. He thought this rather stupid. Why risk injuring your own Seeker out of silly spite? He sneered in the Beater's general direction but then snapped his attention right back on the game.  
  
Hogsbridge had passed the Hogsford score 15 mintues into the game. 30 minutes into the game the teams were even. Another 30 minutes later the score had not changed. Draco knew it was time to really get serious. The teams were too evenly matched and it would be too easy for Hogsford to snatch victory. He sped up his leisurely pace around the stadium. Five minutes later he spied the snitch near the stands on the Southern side of the oval. Thinking quickly, he dived as though he had seen the snitch. As he was going faster than the other Seeker had seen him the whole of that game, he assumed Draco was serious and not using the Wronsky Feint. Draco sped up to a dangerous momentum and pulled out just in time to see the other Seeker plough sickening into the pitch. Blessing his beautiful Nimbus 2002 that responded to his lightest touch, Draco sped off towards the Southern stands. Fortunately the snitch was still in the vicinity but was hovering dangerously close to a flag pole.  
  
Draco knew it may be his only chance that match to capture the elusive golden ball and flew with hazardous speed towards the pole. Using a sharp and dangerous turn at the last second, he reached out and grabbed the snitch then carefully spiraled his broom around the pole a few times until he could slow down enough to pull himself out of the centrifugal force that held him so perilously.  
  
Hermione held her breath as she watched him and Harry yelled out, "Yeah! Did you see that?" He genuinely admired Draco's guts for both trying it and his skill in pulling it off. Luna stood with her mouth open slightly feeling rather shocked but relieved when she saw he was fine. Then in unison they all jumped up and down cheering. Draco had won the match for Hogsbridge!  
  
The noise suddenly hit Draco like a blow as he flew down to the pitch to hand the snitch over to the referee. The entire Hogsbridge stand was standing and yelling and stamping. Banners of his name were suddenly shot out of wands and a chant rose up, "Dra-co! Dra-co! Dra-co!"  
  
Draco ignored it. This was the same crowd who had reviled him for his family name and spread nasty rumours about him sparked off by the gutter press. He was not interested in people who could be so changeable. As he waited for the referee, he looked up in the stands. He knew where his friends were sitting. He grinned when he saw Luna nearly falling out of the stands in excitement waving at him, and Harry and Hermione jumping up and down with glee and cheering.  
  
His other team members flew down from their posts and with huge friendly grins, clapped Draco on the back. Draco took it quietly. He didn't want friends like them. He would not be antagonistic, they were a team after all but he had no desire to suddenly act like their best friend either.  
  
They shook hands with the defeated team and filed into the changing rooms. "Are you coming to the team dinner at Hogsmeade, Draco?" one of the beefy beaters asked him with a grin when they got inside.  
  
"No, I didn't know anything about it and I've already made plans to see my friends," he replied quietly and truthfully. The beater's grin faltered a bit. They had deliberately not told Draco of their plans, not wanting him along at that stage.  
  
"Don't you want to celebrate with your team?" one of the chasers asked ingenuously.  
  
"If you'd wanted me along, you would have asked me before now," Draco said flatly and took his belongings into one of the private bathrooms for the team.  
  
By the time he came out again, the others had gone. He went outside to find Harry, Ginny, Hermione, Padma and Luna waiting. Ron was at Aurors' Academy and would be joining them later. Luna went straight up to him with a big grin on her face. "You were brilliant," she said in a low voice, her green eyes shining and then kissed him lightly on the lips. He slipped one arm around her waist and held her close to kiss her properly. The adrenalin was kicking in and seeing Luna and his other friends so excited made him feel high as a kite. When Luna led him back to the others, they mobbed him. Harry clapped him enthusiastically on the back and Hermione nearly strangled him with hugs. Padma shook his hand warmly and congratulated him and Ginny gave him a small peck on the cheek.  
  
The group partied late into the night. Lavendar minus Roy, and Parvati showed up then Seamus and Dean too. They watched replays on Harry's omnoculors. "I'm going to learn that move. You never know when it could be useful," Harry said quite seriously, watching it again for the hundredth time.  
  
"I didn't mean to invent it," Draco said wryly. "It was either that or be knocked out by a flag pole."  
  
"The Malfoy Maneuver," Luna said with a nod then a laugh.  
  
"To the Malfoy Maneuver," Hermione repeated, raising her glass for a toast.  
  
The others echoed her, also raising their glasses and they toasted the new Quidditch term. Draco shook his head and laughed his rare laugh. It was the best night of his life. 


	18. Chapter Seventeen, Only Angels Have Wing...

Chapter Seventeen  
  
"and hated him not in times past" Deuteronomy 4:43  
  
The Slytherins arrived at the Serpent's Den soon after the dorm-warming and were thrilled to have a secret set of rooms all to themselves and so far away from authority or supervision.  
  
Draco took the boys out into the fresh air most days playing Quidditch or swimming in the lake ("the piranhas, alligators, giant sea serpants and monster octopuses have been cleared out", he assured his guests quite seriously). Luna hung out with the girls in the rec room mostly messing with hair and make up and giggling over boyfriends.  
  
"How many boyfriends have you had Luna?" one sixteen year old asked quite innocently.  
  
Luna considered this question, her smooth dark head tipped on one side and her red lips pursed in concentration. "I don't honestly know," she replied almost apologetically. "Quite a few."  
  
"What were they like?" another girl asked shyly.  
  
"They were all very different," Luna replied, as she French braided one of the younger girl's hair.  
  
"Were any of them like Draco?" one asked, feeling daring.  
  
"No," Luna said with her infectious laugh. "Draco is definitely one of a kind."  
  
"Do you want to marry him?" one first year asked timidly.  
  
Luna crinkled her small, straight nose for a second as she pondered the question. "I've never thought about it," she said with perfect honesty.  
  
"Why not?" a bolder, fifth year asked incredulously.  
  
"I'm too young to be thinking about such serious things," Luna said with another laugh. "I only left school myself last year!"  
  
"Of course," the first girl said thoughtfully. "I forget you're not much older than us. You're very sophisticated."  
  
"It's a veneer," Luna said mock-confidingly, then grinned.  
  
"I think you're beautiful," the shy first year said and went red.  
  
"And I think you're a darling," Luna said affectionately and hugged the young girl with one arm. The young girl went even more red.  
  
"My older sister dated Draco while he was at Hogwarts," one of the younger girls suddenly said.  
  
"Oh?" Luna said with a smile. She knew perfectly well that Draco had dated almost as much as she had herself.  
  
"She said that he wasn't very romantic," the girl continued bluntly.  
  
"Hmmm. I guess he isn't overtly romantic," Luna said as she recognized the truth in that statement.  
  
"She also said he was very cold and indifferent," she said, creeping closer to where Luna sat.  
  
"Cold? No, I wouldn't say that. He's certainly rather cool and level- headed, he's not one for theatrical fits of passion but then again, I wouldn't like that. I definitely wouldn't call him indifferent. At least, he's not when he's with me," she said truthfully and then sighed when she remembered the silence of their two month estrangement.  
  
"She said he was a good kisser but there wasn't much feeling in it," the girl said, obviously disappointed in these reports from her older sister.  
  
"Maybe your sister and Draco didn't have that kind of relationship," Luna said kindly to the obviously confused girl.  
  
"She said all the girls he dated said that about him," she replied, sitting next to Luna.  
  
"Well my older brother said Draco was nasty to the Gryffindors at school," another girl said from across the room.  
  
"The Gryffindors and Slytherins have always been enemies from what I understand," Luna said with a calm smile.  
  
"He called the Muggle borns 'mudbloods'," the first girl said.  
  
"Yes, he was the child of Death Eaters like all of you and learnt the wrong things from his parents. He certainly doesn't hold those views now," Luna explained carefully.  
  
"He doesn't?" one of the younger girls said hopefully.  
  
"No, honey," Luna said reassuringly.  
  
"He sounds very different now to what he was like at school," one of the fourth years said. She had been frankly afraid of the brooding, pale boy when he had been at Hogwarts.  
  
"He's had some really tough things to deal with. It's hard to find out you've been taught lies all your life and have to change," Luna said gently, her eyes far away.  
  
* * *  
  
Later in the holidays the young girl whose sister had dated Draco sought Luna out while she was by herself which was not easy because when Luna was not with all the girls, she was generally with Draco.  
  
However, she caught Luna in the library looking up a potion recipe to treat the minor injuries the boys always seemed to come back with after a day outdoors. "What the hell they do out there, I have no idea," Luna was muttering to herself. "I've never seen so many bruises and scrapes in my life."  
  
"It's a boy thing," Jinty said as she came into the library. "My younger brothers are always covered in bruises and minor cuts." Luna looked up at the tall, attractive, chestnut haired girl with a smile. "Can I. um. talk to you?" she asked hesitantly.  
  
"Of course," Luna said, giving up her search for a suitable potion and showing the girl to a seat by the fire. "What's wrong?" she asked kindly, seeing the girl twist her slender hands in her lap.  
  
"You know how I told you my sister Jasmine dated Draco?" she said hesitantly.  
  
"Yes," Luna said, mildly puzzled.  
  
"She was in love with him. She'd had a crush on him for years before he asked her out but he was always. rather indifferent to her, almost cruel. It was only a short relationship and he really broke her heart when he left her for some other girl," Jinty said, her hazel eyes flicking up to meet Luna's briefly.  
  
"I'm sorry to hear that," Luna said gently.  
  
"She's in Azkaban now, with my parents. She was a few months older than Draco. She became a Death Eater because she knew Draco was going to become one as soon as he left Hogwarts. She hasn't been sentenced to a Dementor's Kiss because she was only a Death Eater for such a short time. She didn't know about Gillamoor until that last night either," Jinty continued.  
  
Like Draco himself, Luna thought.  
  
"Anyway, she's in Azkaban for life with Mum and Dad. Draco ruined her life and for what? He didn't love her," Jinty said, her voice tight and small. "I'm angry with him and I can't help feeling that way although I know it's pointless," she added helplessly.  
  
"Did Draco ever tell her to become a Death Eater?" Luna asked softly.  
  
"No," Jinty said reluctantly.  
  
"Did Draco ever tell your sister than he loved her?" Luna questioned again.  
  
"No," Jinty replied honestly, her voice very quiet.  
  
"Then why are you blaming him? He was misled by his parents himself. He didn't know the truth until after he had already become a Death Eater. He didn't lead your sister on. He dated her for a short while but he never lied to her about his feelings. If she hadn't been blinded by her own feelings, she would have seen that joining the Death Eaters was never going to make Draco love her. She was clinging to a fantasy and paid a terrible price for it. Also, your parents were Death Eaters too Jinty and I'm sure she was influenced by that as well," Luna said compassionately, putting one hand over Jinty's restless fingers.  
  
"Why didn't he love her?" Jinty almost yelled. "She was pretty, she was nice, she was smart and she loved him. Why wasn't she good enough for him? Why?"  
  
Luna got up and put her arms around the girl now sobbing in her chair. "I don't know Jinty. It's got nothing to do with whether or not your sister was pretty or nice or smart or loving. You either love someone or you don't and if you don't, you can't make yourself feel that way," Luna said gently. "I guess your sister loved Draco and couldn't let go when she saw her feelings weren't returned. Rather than accept the pain of that, she lived in a fantasy world."  
  
"So it's all my sister's fault?" Jinty sniffed angrily.  
  
"No, it's Voldemort's fault. If he hadn't formed such an evil group as the Death Eaters, this would never have happened to your sister. In time, she would have grown older and accepted her grief and moved on. Voldemort never gave her that chance. He used her vulnerability to trap her into the Death Eaters and now she is paying a horrible price in Azkaban," Luna said firmly but kindly.  
  
Jinty stopped crying and thought very hard about what Luna had said. She realized the truth when she heard it. All this time she had been making Draco into the villain, angry because he couldn't love her pretty sister. There was still a remnant of that anger born of loyalty to her sister but suddenly she realized that her sister wasn't rotting in Azkaban because of Draco but because of Voldemort. "I want revenge!" the young girl said fiercely clenching her fists, her hazel eyes blazing with passion.  
  
"What are you good at?" Luna asked her calmly.  
  
Jinty stared at her for a minute. "I'm good at Arithmancy, Potions and Charms," she said with a small frown of confusion.  
  
"Same subjects as Hermione," Luna said thoughtfully. "I think you need to think seriously about how you can help the cause against Voldemort and the Death Eaters. Maybe you need to think about the Special Forces in the Aurors and how you can use your gifts in a role like that. Don't let your sister suffer in vain. Use your love for her and your anger at Voldemort for ruining her life to fight him," Luna said, her green eyes intense as she searched Jinty's hazel ones. "Work hard at school and give serious thought to how to redeem something from this tragedy."  
  
Jinty nodded slowly and wiped her eyes on the tissue Luna provided from her wand. "I'm not angry at Draco anymore," she said in a small voice.  
  
"Good," Luna said softly. "He's one of our allies in this fight now."  
  
Jinty nodded. "I can see why he loves you and he does love you. I saw Draco with different girls at Hogwarts in the couple of years I was there before he graduated and he didn't care about any of them really. He really cares about you. I could see the difference straight away. I almost wanted to hate you at first because he so obviously loved you and didn't love my sister but you were so kind to us Slytherin girls that I couldn't," she admitted reluctantly with a grateful look.  
  
"I can quite understand," Luna said soothingly and went to sit back down in her own seat. She ordered something hot to drink and the two sat and sipped tea while Luna gradually turned the conversation onto happier subjects as the girl calmed down.  
  
* * *  
  
In the hallway, Draco stood frozen with a white face. He had known Jinty's sister Jasmine had believed she loved him. He didn't believe that she had really. The girl had been in love with a fantasy of her own making that had nothing to do with who he really was. She was a pretty girl and everything else Jinty had said but she was so involved in her own fantasy about Draco that he never really felt he could connect with her at all.  
  
Apart from anything else, what Luna had said was true. Either you loved someone or you didn't and he couldn't make himself love Jasmine although he could see what an attractive girl she was in every sense. Loving Luna took no effort, he just did. Even if he hadn't wanted to love her, he couldn't prevent the feeling. He was angry with himself for even trying to date Jasmine now. He should have realized her view of him was unhealthy and not to be encouraged. He didn't entirely agree with Luna's view of events, he did feel to blame for having offered Jasmine hope and then carelessly dashing it. It had been thoughtlessly cruel. He had dated plenty of other girls for short times but none had joined the Death Eaters to impress him and none were now rotting in Azkaban as a result.  
  
He quickly retired from the hallway in case someone saw him there eavesdropping. He had been trying to find Luna who would have been a sight for sore eyes after a day in the sunshine with a raggle-tag of boys but he had overheard Jasmine's name and his own and it had stopped him in his tracks.  
  
As he walked back to his suite of rooms to change out of his grimy outdoor clothes, he wondered who the hell he had been only a few short months ago. He pondered how much damage he had done to innocent people out of pure ignorance, thoughtless, arrogance and selfishness. Most of all, he wondered how many times in his future the actions of his past self would come back to bite him. With a sinking feeling, he wondered what Luna had really thought of him despite what she had said to Jinty to calm the girl down and put her on the right track. Did Luna really believe what she'd said or did she harbour secret doubts about him now? Compressing his thin, pale lips he supposed he deserved it. After all, he'd behaved stupidly and selfishly towards her too once.  
  
His pale eyes shuttered, he went to his private bathroom to scrub himself clean.  
  
* * *  
  
After Jinty went back to the Serpent's Den looking rather determined with her new goals and much happier, Luna sat back in her chair and sighed. Her dark green eyes watched the flames dancing in the fireplace. Did she herself believe what she had told Jinty? Strangely enough, she did. She didn't think Jasmine's fantasies and acts of desperation were Draco's fault although perhaps it would have been kinder of Draco not to offer her encouragement by dating her if he didn't have any real feelings for the girl. Then again, all teen-agers did that while they experimented with their sexuality and relationships. Perhaps if Draco had been older and more experienced at the time, he wouldn't have been so careless with the girl's feelings. Who knew? Luna doubted if Draco's cool reserve could have ever satisfied such a passionate, romantic sounding girl anyway. Even if he had loved her, it probably would never have been enough.  
  
Luna believed she had done the right thing anyway. Jinty had a new, more helpful perspective on things and some serious goals to pour her considerable energies and talents into. With a sigh, she went to find Draco.  
  
* * *  
  
"Do you think I ruined Jasmine's life?" Draco asked her quietly much later than night as his slender fingers stroked her bare arm as they lay in bed.  
  
"You overheard," Luna said as a statement of fact. "No, actually," was all she said.  
  
"Why?" he asked, his voice low.  
  
"You heard why," Luna said matter-of-factly.  
  
"I heard what you told Jinty to calm her down and re-focus her. I didn't hear what you really thought," he said and brushed a kiss over her hair.  
  
Luna simply told him what she had thought to herself after her conversation with Jinty. "You need to forgive yourself for being an inexperienced teen- ager still experimenting with all that stuff," Luna said, for all the world like she was not just 19 herself. "It was careless but not evil or even bad."  
  
"It resulted in terrible tragedy," Draco said quietly.  
  
"I wonder if Jasmine wasn't a tragedy waiting to happen," Luna said thoughtfully. "If she hadn't fixated on you, it probably would have just been someone else. Coming from a Death Eater family, she probably needed the distraction and fantasy. Her life was probably precarious and strange," Luna said. "I think someone with her nature in her situation was probably destined for disaster. She didn't sound sensible like her sister Jinty is."  
  
"No, she was nothing like Jinty personality-wise," Draco agreed. "I still feel guilty," he added.  
  
"Get over it. Every teen-ager makes mistakes and the small mistake you made would not have had those consequences if Jasmine had been emotionally normal," Luna said sensibly.  
  
"I love you," he said quietly but his voice was serious.  
  
"I love you too," she said with a grin and lifted her face for his kiss. 


	19. Chapter Eighteen, Nibbles At Your Veins,...

Chapter Eighteen "and I cannot escape to the mountain lest some evil take me and I die" Genesis 19:19  
  
During the times when Luna was staying with Draco at Malfoy Manor and he would be tied up with estate business for a few hours, Luna would go for long walks in the Malfoy woodlands. It was no longer any more dangerous than the Dark Forest (which it actually formed a part of) since the Aurors had gone thoroughly over the estate. The Dark Forest was not exactly safe even in broad daylight but you would have to be unlucky to stumble across trouble there during daylight hours.  
  
Luna was not a nervous person and had a lot of faith in her ability to defend herself although Draco was not entirely sure why this would be the case. As she usually set off without telling him where she was going, he didn't really have much opportunity to express his reservations about this potentially dangerous pastime however.  
  
Luna simply loved the stillness and quiet of the woods. She didn't have much opportunity to enjoy them living at the Embassy which was close to the Muggle city of London and right in the heart of the business centre of the wizarding world. She always knew where she was when in the woods because she used location spells and compass charms to locate herself against the Malfoy Manor.  
  
One morning she decided to be more adventurous than usual and explore a new part of the forest. The Southern regions were denser and less sunlight got through the canopy but the green shadows, ancient trees and mossy streams leant energy to the girl fatigued from studying for her end of semester exams. She could feel the primal energy from the dawn of creation coming up through the earth and entering her bloodstream. In virgin woodlands, this ancient creative magic was undisturbed and hung heavily in the air. Luna could feel in enter her body with her breath and absorb into her skin. She knew the place was full of spirits that she couldn't see but they didn't bother her. They kept out of sight but she could feel them observing her.  
  
After heading along new unexplored tracks for a couple of hours, Luna found herself approaching a place that made the fine hair on her arms stand on end. The light was very, very dim in the glade. At one end a sheer rocky cliff rose into the sky and a small waterfall descended into a shallow stream. The stream was bordered by massive up-rooted trees and boulders as big as she was tall covered in moss.  
  
Luna frowned. She wanted to go forward and cross the stream to continue her walk but she couldn't make herself. It wasn't like her to freak out over mysterious places and this spot had all the appearances of a charming, magical, sylvan, mysterious glade. But there was something wrong - something desperately wrong. Suddenly Luna was dreadfully anxious to get away. She could almost smell the evil there. Whatever evil was there hated her and would hurt her if it could, she knew that as clearly as she knew her own name. Her heart pounding in her ears she back tracked the way she had come, almost stumbling in her urgency to get away. The feeling did not leave her for another 100m back along the track. When she could force herself to stop, she took careful note of her location using a tracking charm and headed back to the Manor.  
  
That afternoon she took Draco back to the spot where she had placed the tracking charm. They flew in on their broomsticks to save time although it was difficult to land in such thick forest. "Why do you want to walk out here for?" Draco grumbled. "I bet there are leeches."  
  
"Yes, there are. We can burn them off if we get bitten, don't be so squeamish," Luna said, her fine dark eyebrows drawn together in a frown.  
  
"I think leeches are excellent cause for squeamishness," Draco muttered but underneath his whining, he was concerned about Luna. She hadn't said much when she came back from her walk but the look on her face worried him. He had never seen her look like that before. She looked as though she'd had a bad fright and Luna didn't scare easily. She had insisted on his coming out to that spot and had been so firm that he hadn't argued with her.  
  
Carrying their brooms, she led him back to the glade with the waterfall and stream. She paused a few meters away and would not go any further. He frowned at her in concern and went a few steps on himself. He looked keenly at the place, his pale eyes narrowed. There was no sign of any disturbance. When he returned to Luna's side, he could see she had goose- bumps and was frozen immobile and her large, dark eyes were wide their vision turned inward.  
  
"What do you think it is?" Draco asked her quietly.  
  
"I don't know. It's almost like. like something really horrible happened here, something violent and malicious or maybe. I don't know - like this is an ancient place of worship for a very unpleasant deity now probably long forgotten. There is a feeling of. hatred and malice and violence and watchfulness. There is something of vengenence about it too," she said shaking her head, her face crumpled in distress. "I've got to go," she said suddenly and turned and left abruptly to head back down the track. Draco followed her thoughtfully. It would be easy enough just to get Aurors to check the place for Dark Magic but it sounded like Luna might be picking up on something more ancient.  
  
Draco didn't much like the look of the glade either but he figured it could just be because it was very dark there and the stream could be dangerous to cross although it was really very shallow. Perhaps Luna was just being unusually hysterical although it definitely was not like her. Perhaps exam stress was getting to her, he thought with a mental shrug. He knew there were rare witches and wizards who were very sensitive to impressions left in certain places but if Luna had those particular gifts, this was the first sign he'd seen of them and it was yet to be confirmed that her impressions were right.  
  
"I'm bringing Dumbledore back here," Luna said to him as they mounted their brooms to fly back to the Manor.  
  
Draco nodded. "I'm sure he knows more than anybody else about the history of the Dark Forest," Draco agreed thoughtfully.  
  
* * *  
  
Luna owled Dumbledore when she got back to the Manor and he replied that evening saying he would come by the next morning. Fortunately, Luna did not have an exam that day so she would be able to take him back to the exact spot herself.  
  
They apparated to the spot that Luna had tracked the previous day. Nervously she led the old wizard down the track to the glade, once again hanging back meters before actually reaching it. Dumbledore took a few steps on and his usually merry blue eyes were serious as he looked around. "I think, young Luna that it may be possible to learn about this glade by closing ones eyes," he suggested surprisingly.  
  
Luna had no intention of closing her eyes. It was bad enough for her with her eyes open. She watched Dumbledore as he stood for a long time with his eyes closed, his face peaceful and calm but his posture held upright as though alert for something. Luna admitted to herself that she felt far, far safer with Dumbledore there.  
  
"I have a suspicion that your theory may be correct," Dumbledore said finally, opening his eyes to look at the frightened looking girl. "I think this place is most likely haunted by something rather nasty. I have an old friend who is an expert in this area. If you can be brave again Luna, I'd like you to bring us both back here very soon."  
  
Luna nodded. She hated this place but it worried at her like an aching tooth. She had to get it fixed.  
  
* * *  
  
Luna had exams over the next two days so it was arranged that Dumbledore and his friend would go back to the 'black spot' (as Luna called it) the day after her last exam.  
  
Dumbledore's friend turned out to be the Senior Auror Archimedes who had been one of those interviewing Draco repeatedly for information on the Death Eaters over the past few months. Draco trusted the man implicitly but found him rather stern. Luna frankly thought he was handsome but so focused on the task at hand and so severe that it was hard to remember his good looks when working with him.  
  
"He probably does it on purpose," Hermione commented when Luna mentioned Archimedes to her much later. "Imagine being that good looking but also brainy enough to be a Senior Auror that young. If he played on his good looks, no-one would take him seriously. He's probably so austere in order to force people to pay attention to what he's saying or doing rather than what he looks like. Otherwise he'd never accomplish anything. All the women around would be making goo-goo eyes at him," she added.  
  
"Not to mention the gay men," Luna added with a wink. Hermione laughed out loud.  
  
Archimedes had reacted to the glade in the exact manner Luna had. The fair hair on his forearms stood on end and his expression grew very, very grim. His mouth thinned into a stern line and his bright blue eyes narrowed. Dumbledore was very interested to see the similarity in his reaction to that of Luna's a few days earlier.  
  
"This will take some serious planning and preparation and research," Archimedes finally said to Dumbledore as he turned on his heel to leave the eerie place.  
  
"It's that bad?" Dumbledore asked with mild surprise.  
  
"It's worse than bad. It's the worst I've ever seen in my life," Archimedes replied forbiddingly, his fair brows furrowed.  
  
Dumbledore nodded slowly. "So young Luna was right," he said thoughtfully, looking kindly at her.  
  
Archimedes' bright penetrating blue eyes were suddenly examining Luna with laser-like intensity, searching her face as though looking for something. "You need to be trained," he said finally.  
  
"She is like you Archimedes? That's rather rare isn't it, two strong sensitives in one generation?" Dumbledore mused.  
  
"I think this generation may need them," Archimedes said dryly.  
  
Luna was dying to ask what a 'sensitive' was but wisely kept quiet. She had a feeling she was going to know more than she ever wanted to soon enough.  
  
* * *  
  
Two weeks later Dumbledore invited Luna to a meeting at his office. He also asked Draco along because he knew it was likely that Luna would need his support at some stage and Dumbledore wanted the boy to understand everything that was happening so he could do so.  
  
Archimedes was already present in his usual dark purple robes. He was sipping a cup of tea but had a thick pile of paper in front of him. When Luna and Draco arrived, Dumbledore poured tea for them but then turned to Archimedes and said, "please share what you have learned in the past weeks Archimedes."  
  
Archimedes put down his cup and pulled his papers towards him but rather than read from them, he looked Luna in the eye and calmly pronounced, "we are dealing with the grounding place of a major demon. It is likely that this glade has been used for thousands of years as a focus of ritual for appeasement of this particular demon which makes it a very powerful place for him to rest and manifest."  
  
Draco's face went even paler than usual. "It's on my family grounds," he murmured.  
  
"Yes, it's very likely it was members of your family that continued the rituals for generations to maintain the demon's powers," Archimedes said matter-of-factly.  
  
Draco put down his tea cup with slightly shaking hands. "What rituals?" he said faintly.  
  
"Ritual human sacrifice on a fairly regular basis," Archimedes said, his face tensing with distaste and displeasure. "Probably other set rituals too but mostly blood rites."  
  
Luna shook her head. "I knew there was murder with malicious intent. I knew it," she said softly, tears coming to her eyes. "And I could feel that thing's hatred like something physical," she added, her vision turned inward once again.  
  
"Yes, you were right on every count in fact," Archimedes said with detatched approval. "The only thing that isn't explained is the strong sense of vengeance there but I felt that too so it must be relevant. We may need to do further research."  
  
Draco looked at Luna consideringly. If Luna had received such accurate impressions merely from stumbling across the place by accident, he could barely begin to imagine what a gift like that harnessed and trained could do.  
  
"It is possible to diminish that demon and clear the glade of its evil but I will need the presence of the strongest wizards in Britain to lend magical energy to the task. I can do the spells but my strength will not be enough alone to defeat it for good," Archimedes said finally. "Even then, all participants will need to do a great deal of strict preparation beforehand."  
  
Dumbledore nodded. "I understand. If you give me instructions I will pass these on to those we will need to recruit," he said calmly. 


	20. Chapter Nineteen, Runs Away With Your Mi...

A/N - I can't believe I messed up the chapters when up-loading. Duh! I'm not even sure if anyone is following this story but if so, apologies!  
  
Chapter Nineteen "into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil." Matthew 4:1  
  
It was a subdued group of wizards that apparated to the tracking point in the Malfoy woodlands a month later. A full cycle of the moon had been needed for preparation of the witches and wizards who were to participate. Luna had a strong feeling that the malicious entity in the Southern forests knew what was coming. She could feel a heaviness brewing in the Dark Forest like a brool over the sea before a storm. The air seemed to grow thicker with tension each night but Luna noted with interest that the demon's weapon of choice seemed to be free-floating fear; very effective unless you were onto it and didn't let it dictate your actions.  
  
Luna faithfully followed Archimedes' instructions and made sure Draco did too as he was to be present. The rest of the group consisted of the Hogwarts teachers including Snape; Hermione, Harry, Ron and all the Weasleys including Ginny and his parents, Dumbledore, Remus, Lupin, and a few choice Senior Aurors.  
  
Thick storm clouds were hanging heavily over the Dark Forest that day of a nasty green grey colour. Impenetrable mist filled in the gaps between the ancient, twisted tree trunks casting uncertain shadows and making it hard to know where to put your feet or how to avoid obstacles. The tree branches seemed to reach out and clutch at their robes and the tree roots rise up out of the damp, black soil to trip them. Luna knew perfectly well that the demon was deliberately trying to encourage fear in the group by any means possible.  
  
As soon as they reached the outskirts of the glade, Harry's green eyes narrowed and he pressed his fingers to his scar. Dumbledore and Archimedes looked at him sharply. Harry's scar had faded a great deal since Voldemort's defeat on the North York Moors not so long ago but now the boy felt a definite tingling there.  
  
Harry looked around him carefully. The glade had wisps of mist floating across the ground and over the stream but the waterfall confirmed it to him. "This is where Voldemort brought Ron," Harry said quietly but without doubt.  
  
Ron stared around the glade, his freckles standing out on his suddenly colourless skin. "Is this it?" he breathed. He had been unconscious at the time and until after Harry and Hermione had actually rescued him. That had been at the end of 6th year.  
  
Harry merely nodded. Archimedes thought for a minute and then nodded slowly. "That explains the vengeance that both Luna and myself picked up here then," he said flatly. "Trust Voldemort to choose the place of grounding for a major demon to enact his vengeance on Harry," he added, his lips compressed.  
  
"At the same time, he would have been able to appease and please the demon with a human sacrifice," one of the other Senior Aurors said. "It would have given him an enormous injection of power."  
  
Hermione and Ginny gasped and stood closer to Ron who was looking very sick.  
  
"Yes, he would have been able to make a request of the demon then," Archimedes confirmed with a nod. "Thank goodness Harry and Hermione arrived in time."  
  
"I'm surprised the demon didn't make an appearance to help Voldemort," Ron said faintly.  
  
"He needs blood to have enough power to appear or act," Archimedes explained simply. "Harry and Hermione got here before Voldemort could shed any."  
  
The three friends gravitated towards each other and took each others' hands almost unconsciously.  
  
"We'd best begin," Archimedes said abruptly, looking up at the darkening sky. The others positioned themselves on both sides of the stream and Archimedes waded into the centre of the shallow water with his back to the waterfall.  
  
Suddenly a strong gust of wind blew down from the top of the rocky cliff with a terrifying noise almost like a scream. Archimedes lost his footing on the muddy, mossy rocks and fell. Ginny screamed and Luna waded straight in. Archimedes had hit his head on large stone and was unconscious, blood dripping from a deep cut on his forehead.  
  
"Blood!" Luna cried to the others, as she pulled Archimedes' face clear of the shallow water. Instinctively she knew they were all now in much greater danger. "Stay where you are and focus!" she commanded urgently but with an authority that seemed to flow from deep within her. The others responded to it immediately and did as she bid. For a split second she looked behind her at the waterfall and ever afterwards was sure she saw the outlines of a hideous face as high as the waterfall was deep staring out at her.  
  
Luna lifted her head with the certainty of a priestess and began to intone the Invocation of Power.  
  
*"Powers of the Kingdom be beneath my left foot and within my right hand. Glory and Eternity touch my shoulders and guide me in the paths of victory. Mercy and Judgment be ye the equilibrium and splendor of my life. Binahel, be thou my love. Be thou which thou art and that which thou willest to be, O Ketheriel. Cherubim, be my strength in the name of Adonai. Elohim, fight for me in the name of Tetragrammation. Malachim, protect me in the name of Yod He Van He. Aralim, act ye. Auphanim, revolve and shine. Chaioth Haquadosh cry aloud, speak, roar and groan. Quadosch Qualosch Quadosch Shaddai Adonai Yod. Chava h e he ieh. Asher e he ieh. Hallelu Yah."  
  
The wind had started howling to an unbearable pitch while Luna recited the invocation with her back to the demon. The ancient words were obviously all too understandable to the ancient evil and it stayed in its lair unable to harm them.  
  
By some instinct that Luna could never later explain, she then went on to the spell for diminishing a demon. She knew the demon's name as Archimedes had given it to all of them as part of their preparation. Any witch or wizard knew that knowing something's real name gave you enormous power over it. Likewise, to diminish the being's power you simply diminished their name syllable by syllable.  
  
Once Luna began, the other's joined in adding their magical strength to the spell.  
  
**"Avaunt! Hence, begone! Melusine Demogorgona Phospher Ba'al! Vaunt! Hence, begone! Melusine Demogorgona Phospher Ba'al! Hence, begone! Melusine Demogorgona Phospher Ba'a1! Begone! Melusine Demogorgona Phospher Ba'al! Gone! Melusine Demogorgona Phospher Ba'al! MELUSINE DEMOGORGONA PHOSPHER BA'AL! You seen Demogorgona Phospher Ba'al? Seen Demogorgona Phospher Ba'al. DEMOGORGONA PHOSPHER BA'AL. Oh! Gorgona Phospher Ba'al! Gorgona Phospher Ba'al. Gone Ah Phospher Ba'al. Ah Phospher Ba'al! PHOSPHER BA'AL! Fer Ba'al! Ba'al! Al!  
  
The wind whipped Luna's dark hair around her face but her voice rang out clear and true without falter. As she pronounced the last 'al', the wind dropped to a whisper and the woods became very still. The mist gradually dissipated from the forest floor and the clouds that had hung so low over the Southern forest lifted suddenly and allowed sunlight to dissolve through the canopy overhead.  
  
Luna relaxed and felt rather as though she had just stepped out of an unpleasant dream or trance. She looked behind her at the waterfall and to her amazement, a brilliant rainbow was shining in the spray. There had not been enough sunlight in the place before to allow the phenomenon. There was certainly not even the vaguest sign of a monstrous face. Luna started when she heard a bird call and she realized that in all her previous visits, he had never heard the faintest whisper of the sound of animal life in the place. She took a deep breath and looked around at the white faces of the other witches and wizards lining the stream. Then she looked down at Archimedes and as she did so, his eyelids flickered and he came round.  
  
* * *  
  
Once Archimedes had his cut seen to by MacGonagall, he took the group behind the waterfall into the cave. It looked completely benign now with sunlight filtering through the water to illuminate the cave with dancing silvery light. Even the heavy stone table that had obviously been carved out of the cave floor millennia ago with ancient runes engraved into it as deep as a spear is long didn't look frightening although none of them had any doubt that it was the sacrificial altar.  
  
Harry and Hermione remembered but didn't say that this table was where they had found Ron unconscious and tied up the night they had rescued him from Voldemort. Dumbledore's obviously suspected that was the case and a quick glance of his blue eyes over Harry and Hermione's faces when they saw the table confirmed his thoughts.  
  
"Had you seen this Archimedes?" Luna asked the wizard curiously.  
  
"Yes, this is where I got the demon's name for the diminishing spell. I think I paid for it today. I shouldn't have come here alone to gather the information. The demon stole some of my power that day," he remarked quietly.  
  
"Well, today wouldn't have been successful if you hadn't," Luna said practically.  
  
"No. It's a good thing another sensitive with strong natural talent and authority was there today however," he added tiredly, his face drawn. Luna just smiled slightly.  
  
* * *  
  
Later that day Luna and Draco were sitting in Dumbledore's office with Archimedes. Luna still felt odd. She tried to pinpoint what the feeling was. In the end she came up with a metaphor. Like a copper pipe gets overheated if boiling hot water rushes through it, so Luna now felt affected by the elemental power that had rushed through her when she'd used such potent spells that day. Most of all, she felt exhausted. She would sleep well that night.  
  
"Luna, you need training," Archimedes had said bluntly, his face still pale from the having been knocked unconscious. "You have extraordinary natural ability and I don't know where you learned such ancient and important spells for this kind of purpose but there are things I can teach you which would allow you to harness your natural gift."  
  
Luna shrugged. "Okay," she agreed. What she had been through was frightening but she realized that the work was important and because she had proven ability, she was likely to gain satisfaction from it.  
  
"It's dangerous," Draco said stiffly, his face tense with disapproval.  
  
"Of course it is," Archimedes said with a frown. "It's very risky, that's why Luna is better off if she's trained properly. If she hadn't happened to know those spells today, we would probably not all be sitting here now."  
  
"Why must she be put deliberately in the line of danger?" Draco asked tightly.  
  
"Because she has an extraordinary and rare gift, and we need her," Dumbledore said gently. "In each generation we only get one sensitive with strong fighting ability. This time we have been lucky to have two within a few years of each other."  
  
Draco's lips thinned but he didn't argue further.  
  
* * *  
  
That night Draco woke up suddenly in the early hours of the morning to find Luna's side of the bed empty. He squinted around the room lit dimly by moonlight and saw her in her nightgown, pacing in front of the window. It was a slow pace and not anxious but her slender arms were wrapped around herself and she seemed to be talking to herself. Draco listened carefully and realized the cadence of what she was saying sounded like a chant or a prayer or a spell. It was not English or French, in fact the language sounded ancient. He strained his ears but it did not sound like Latin or Greek either and he had taken both languages at Hogwarts so he would recognize it.  
  
He listened a bit longer until he was sure he didn't know it. Certain words were repeated over and over again. In the end he called out to her, "Luna - what is it?"  
  
She stopped muttering instantly and merely said lightly, "its alright, go back to bed."  
  
"What language is that?" he asked, sitting up and swinging his legs out of the bed.  
  
"I don't know. It changes all the time anyway," she said honestly.  
  
"How can you not know what you're saying?" he asked confused, going over to her.  
  
"I open my mouth and it comes out. Probably a bit like Harry's Parseltongue," Luna explained.  
  
Draco's pale eyes shone strangely in the half-lit room and his moonlight pale hair gleamed. He stood frowning at her, trying to understand. "Why are you pacing and talking in a strange language?" he asked.  
  
"I had a bad dream. I get them now and then, maybe one every 6 months or so. They are so vivid and so real that I usually can't sleep after them until I've gotten up and chanted in this odd language," she confessed. He still looked very puzzled. "They usually come true, Draco," she whispered tiredly seeing that he still didn't understand. "Sometimes they are about people who are already dead but mostly they are about things that are going to happen."  
  
"What did you see?" he asked quietly.  
  
"A terrible persecution in medeval times. It was near the Pyrenees. There was a small town of people who belonged to a Christian sect who were being persecuted by the Church. They were all tortured, many died. The woman in my dream was tortured and then set free. She escaped over the mountains into another country. The year 1305 was significant," Luna said, biting her lip as she tried to remember all the details. "This woman was a prostitute, I think," she muttered. Luna looked up at Draco suddenly. "But the blood! Oh my God, the blood! The streets were running with it, literally running with it." She covered her face with her hand and tears filled her eyes.  
  
Draco stared at her in horror. What kind of nightmare was this? It did sound like a historical event but Draco did not know enough about Muggle history to pinpoint it. There was no doubt the dream was horribly vivid and detailed. Luna spoke as though she had been there. He put his arms around the small girl and led her back to the bed, grabbing a tissue for her from the nightstand. "We'll speak to someone in the Muggle Studies department at Hogsbridge tomorrow, okay? They'll know if the dream related to a real event," he said soothingly.  
  
"I hope not," Luna said, having stopped crying before really starting. "I hope it was just a bad dream."  
  
"I hope so too," he said softly, almost to himself and pulled her against him as they drifted off to sleep again.  
  
* * *  
  
"The Cathars," the Muggle Studies professor said immediately.  
  
"Who?" Luna asked baffled.  
  
"The Cathars. A Christian sect that was being stamped out in Europe around France and Spain. The Pyranees border both France and Spain, and the Cathars used secret trails over the dangerous mountain terrain to run messages between groups of Cathars and hide from the Catholic Church. Your date is spot on too. 1305 would have been just about the first year when the persecutions really began in earnest," he explained calmly.  
  
Luna sat down very carefully on a nearby chair. Draco leaned against the mantel as he listened incredulously. "They were expecting them," Luna murmured.  
  
"Of course they were. The Cathars had been hiding from the Catholic authorities for years," the professor said.  
  
"She cursed herself for not having left before they got there. For stopping to gather her belongings first," Luna said faintly.  
  
"You said this was a dream?" the professor said, frowning. Luna just nodded slowly. "Strangely accurate. Of course, it was the beginning of the 'burning times'. Later the Church would burn these 'heretics' but at that stage they didn't kill all of them, just raided their towns and tortured people for information," the professor continued.  
  
"They cut them. They tied them up in the town centre with their hands above their heads and cut them open with knives. You should have seen the blood. It was everywhere. Sometimes they just cut them into pieces and then threw those pieces into the crowd. They laughed when they did that, thought it was funny. She got away though, they cut her up a bit but then they let her go. I suppose they figured a common prostitute wouldn't know much and wouldn't have any power in the Cathar community," Luna said quietly.  
  
The professor stared at her. "It was the beginning of the Papal Inquisition which was a forerunner to the Spanish Inquisition," he confirmed. "Those methods were quite common."  
  
"So my dream was true?" Luna asked softly.  
  
"Well, you are certainly describing historical events that did happen. Whether the prostitute existed, we'll never know but all the details of your dream are completely accurate," he said with a shrug.  
  
Luna nodded, "thank you" she whispered then got up suddenly and walked rapidly from his office. When Draco came outside, he saw her coming out of the Ladies toilets.  
  
"Are you okay?" he asked seriously.  
  
She nodded. She didn't tell him then but she had had to throw up. "Am I a freak?" she'd asked him seriously.  
  
"No," he replied quietly. "Just very unfortunate in your particular gifts."  
  
She nodded. "Sorry about the drama," she said, holding her shaking hands behind her so Draco could not see. In her own way, Luna was very much like Draco in that she didn't like to make emotional displays.  
  
"No, I'm glad I found out this way," he said thoughtfully, taking her hand as they walked away from the Professor's office. "I've seen it myself which helps me understand it."  
  
"I don't know what good it does, seeing these things and feeling these things. It doesn't seem to help anyone or accomplish anything. After all, that prostitute is dead; I can't help her," she shrugged.  
  
"I think time will clarify all of that and I imagine Archimedes will help you enormously too," Draco said reassuringly.  
  
"I don't want him to know about the dreams," she said quickly, darting a glance at Draco's sharp profile.  
  
"Why not?" Draco asked curiously.  
  
"It's bad enough having training as a 'sensitive'. If it was found out that I'm a kind of seer too, I'd have everyone on my case and I don't want that," she said frowning.  
  
"Seer?" Draco asked, looking down at her.  
  
"Yes. As in see-er. I 'see' things. Just because I see them doesn't mean I have to tell everyone about it. As I said, what good does it do anyone?" she asked with an odd undertone of bitterness.  
  
"Yes and everyone would want a piece of you too, wanting you to see how their petty personal problems are going to work out and so on," he agreed realizing how sensible Luna was being. "On the other hand, if you have a dream about future events the information you pass on could really help someone like Dumbledore who would know how to use it," he added.  
  
"Perhaps and perhaps not. I don't see everything and often what I do get, I misinterpret anyway. Apart from that, whatever I see can't be changed so what's the point?" she said with evident frustration.  
  
"Well, let's not worry about it for now," he said comfortingly, gently squeezing the hand he was holding.  
  
"Yes," Luna sighed. "Thank you," she added, smiling up at Draco. He smiled, and bent down quickly and brushed a kiss over her lips.  
  
* Taken from its reproduction in 'An Enemy at Green Knowe' by Lucy Boston. ** Adapted and taken from source as above. 


	21. Chapter Twenty, And When You Cry I'll Be...

Chapter Twenty "Let the sighing of the prisoner come before thee; according to the greatness of thy power preserve thou those that are appointed to die" Psalm 79:11  
  
"Did you know that Archimedes is working on the Ministry to release the Death Eaters from Azkaban who had been in the ranks for less than one year? That means your school friends would be getting out if he's successful," Luna commented to Draco one evening as they sat in front of the fire after dinner.  
  
Draco's pale eyes snapped onto her face instantly. "No. Where did you hear that?" he asked, his long fingers suddenly still where he had been drumming them against the tapestry covering of his armchair.  
  
"Archimedes told me himself today. We had our first session this afternoon after my morning lectures," Luna replied. "As I was about to leave, he mentioned it because he knows I am a friend of Jinty's and her sister Jasmine would be released if he is able to persuade the Ministry," she added by way of explanation.  
  
Draco's eyes glittered like ice as the firelight played over his face as he absorbed this information. He bit his lip and his eyes narrowed as his mind quickly ran over ideas of how he may be able to help Archimedes in his plan. "Did he mention whether the Ministry is receptive to the plan?" Draco asked hopefully.  
  
"No but I would guess Dumbledore would be behind it in a trice if he was told about it. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if Archimedes has already enlisted his support," Luna mused.  
  
"Neither would I," Draco murmured and put the tip of his thumb in his mouth and chewed the nail as he thought. "Maybe we should owl Dumbledore about it?" he suggested finally.  
  
"Oh, let's just go and see him," Luna shrugged. Draco nodded and they flooed over to Hogwarts.  
  
Dumbledore was very pleased to see them and offered them both a glass of brandy once they were seated in his study. "Well young Luna, how did your first session with Archimedes go today?" he asked kindly.  
  
"All he did was give me a mountain of books to read. He wants me to know the theory before we begin on the practice," Luna replied wryly. She liked to read and would enjoy the books she had been given as she had a natural interest in the subject matter however it would be hard to keep up with her University work and the amount of reading Archimedes had given her. Just because he has no life, Luna thought to herself feeling disgruntled.  
  
"Good, good. Now, how can I be of assistance? I take it the Slytherins who just visited you for the summer holidays behaved themselves?" Dumbledore said with a smile. "They certainly came back to Hogwarts looking relaxed and happy."  
  
"We had fun," Luna said with a smile, her green eyes amused at the memory of their antics.  
  
Draco nodded in agreement. "No, they were no problem at all. The House Elves were in their element trying to keep up with the constant demand for food. They get quite depressed when the kids go back to school," Draco commented dryly. "We actually came to see you about something Archimedes mentioned to Luna today," he added and went on to explain.  
  
"Ah yes! Archimedes has been keeping me up-to-date with this excellent plan of his and I will be meeting with Ministry officials tomorrow about it," Dumbledore nodded, his expression pleased.  
  
"Is there anything I can do to help?" Draco asked quietly.  
  
"I think Archimedes whole plan arose out of the information you gave about the Death Eaters and your first few months in their ranks. It made him realize that a lot of the youngsters really joined out of the expectations of their Death Eater parents and the new initiates had little or nothing to do with planning and implementing the horrors at Gillamoor. I think he feels that these kids deserve a second chance to choose," Dumbledore clarified with a benign smile lighting up his blue eyes.  
  
Luna smiled at Draco, pleased to hear that his work with the Ministry had unforeseen benefits. Draco nodded, feeling relieved that his co-operation and openness was already yielding results. "Would it help for me to be at your meeting tomorrow?" Draco suggested.  
  
Dumbledore looked at him consideringly. "Yes, I think it would be very beneficial indeed," he replied sounding pleased.  
  
* * *  
  
The meeting the next day went off very well and by the time the Minister had heard all of Archimedes persuasive arguments, Dumbledore's compassionate pleas and Draco's own story he agreed to speak to the necessary legal authorities. Azkaban did not give up its prisoners easily but if the Counselors could be persuaded, there was nothing to prevent the young prisoners being given full liberty again.  
  
* * *  
  
As an object lesson, Archimedes took Luna with him next time he visited the young ex-Death Eaters in Azkaban. None of them had been sentenced to a Dementor's Kiss so as long as they were given a Petronus Cloak for a short time, they were able to speak quite lucidly to their visitors.  
  
Draco's old friend Crabbe was there, as was a girl who looked so much like Jinty that it had to be Jasmine. There were other kids there, some of whom looked as though they may be related to some of the kids who visited Malfoy Manor every holiday. They were all thin (even Crabbe) and pale with large purple bruises under their eyes. They looked haunted and hunted and desperate.  
  
Luna suffered badly in Azkaban. Not because of the effect of the Dementors - the Patronus Cloak prevented that. She could feel the suffering of the inhabitants, past and present, hanging in the air like a thick fog. Luna could feel the fear and suffocating misery crowding in on her like something physical. Walking along the corridors was a hard as swimming against a current; she was battling so much negative emotion coming at her from the very walls. The problem was, Luna acknowledged to herself, that she felt other people's emotions as though they were her own but somehow magnified. When she was little, sometimes she got other people's emotions confused with her own. She couldn't explain to anyone except perhaps Archimedes because they didn't understand what she meant. She had understood her own status as a freak from a very young age.  
  
Luna picked up something else more interesting while at Azkaban. Jasmine was very much like her sister with thick, long, wavy chestnut hair, large hazel eyes and a tall, slender build. Frankly, Luna could not understand why Draco hadn't been smitten with her. There was nothing about her that wouldn't attract a teenage boy. The minute Archimedes and Jasmine were in the same room, Luna knew that Archimedes loved the girl. He didn't give the slightest sign of it. He didn't flicker an eyelid or behave at all differently towards her than he did the other kids but Luna just knew as certainly as she knew her own love for Draco.  
  
Luna sat back and absorbed this new revelation. Archimedes loving anyone was rather a new thought for Luna. He always seemed so self-sufficient and sensible, not the type to have much of a heart but he did - Luna could feel it like something tangiable, like an electric warmth. Like the Northern Lights lit up the Arctic sky, so Archimedes' emotion lit up the emotional charge of the room. Interestingly, Luna was unsure of Jasmine's own feelings. She caught the girl looking at Archimedes a few times when she knew he was not looking in her direction but her eyes showed little emotion but helplessness and blank misery which had probably more to do with her current imprisonment in the hell hole of Azkaban.  
  
Luna calculated that there was probably only 5 to 6 years that separated Archimedes and Jasmine in age. If Jasmine did love Archimedes once the nightmare of Azkaban was over for her (and Luna was sure it would be sooner rather than later), he would be able to provide a very stable environment for the girl to heal in emotionally and in other ways.  
  
Luna leaned forward across the table separating herself and Jasmine while Archimedes was busy with Crabbe and said, "do you remember your sister Jinty?" Jasmine looked up at her and her large hazel eyes filled with tears. She nodded and then swallowed, lowering her head again. "I see her all the time. She just spent 2 months at Malfoy Manor with myself and Draco and the other Slytherin kids. She talks about you all the time. She loves you very much," Luna continued.  
  
It was a relief to see some other emotion in Jasmine other than misery, despair and horror. Her love for her sister Jinty woke her up. A gleam almost of pleasure came into her eyes. Luna kept talking. She talked about what Jinty had done over the summer holidays, what Jinty's plans were for the future, what their younger brothers were getting up to in grade school, about Jinty's handsome Hufflepuff boyfriend who followed the attractive girl around the school like a puppy dog, about Jinty's friends and how they all invited her around to their homes for the holidays but Jinty preferred to be at the Serpent's Den. The whole time she talked, Jasmine's face gradually lost its blank despair and her eyes kindled and her lips almost smiled.  
  
Luna suddenly realized that Archimedes was waiting to speak to Jasmine but his eyes had been fixed intently on the girl's face as Luna spoke as though he was unable to tear his gaze away from seeing her even slightly animated for the first time. His expression was as shuttered and stern as it ever was however and Luna doubted that Jasmine even suspected the handsome Senior Auror had any feelings for her at all. Silly man, Luna thought irritably.  
  
* * *  
  
As they left Azkaban and crossed over the swamp to where they could apparate from again, Archimedes abruptly said, "you did a marvelous job with Jasmine. You reminded her that there were still good things in the world. Azkaban robs you of those memories. For a few minutes, Jasmine got a break from her torment."  
  
"You might want to show her that you love her. That would probably help her too," Luna said bluntly. Archimedes was a direct person, if rather severely private and hedging wasn't going to help any.  
  
Archimedes lips compressed but he neither confirmed nor denied what she said. "No fun having another sensitive around is it?" Luna grinned at him. Archimedes sent her a freezing glance then realized the truth of what she said and relaxed in resignation. "You don't have to make any declarations for goodness sake. Just do what I did today, talk to her and remind her about the good things out here. She won't forget anything you do for her in there when she gets out. Besides, I reckon she thinks you're really hot," Luna added her grin spreading and her green eyes glinting with evil fun.  
  
Archimedes opened his mouth to say something then shut it abruptly like a trap. "Oh, she does so. I saw her checking you out when you weren't looking," Luna continued cheerfully, enjoying herself hugely. She knew perfectly well Archimedes was dying to hear her impressions but would rather rot in hell then ask. "Which is amazing when you think about it considering her mental state," and Luna sighed, her grin fading away.  
  
"I have to get her out," Archimedes murmured almost to himself. "I mean, get them out," he corrected himself hastily.  
  
"I could tease you mercilessly but I won't," Luna said smugly.  
  
* * *  
  
"Hey, Archimedes is in love with Jinty's sister," Luna told Draco when she got home. Draco's eyes got very wide.  
  
"How do you know? I can't imagine him ever saying anything like that in a mad fit!" Draco replied incredulously.  
  
"I'm a sensitive, remember? I just know," Luna said loftily, her voice amused.  
  
Draco made a rude noise. "Well, you didn't know how I felt about you. Remember the whole bit about 'you didn't like me enough for it to be worth my while'," Draco mimicked her high girl's voice maliciously.  
  
"Awwww! Diddums! Didum widdum hurt your ickle feewings?" Luna mocked him wickedly. "Besides, it doesn't apply when it's your own romance. I'm sure Archimedes has no idea of whether or not Jasmine returns his feelings," she added sensibly.  
  
"Really?" Draco said, his interest caught and rather relieved that Luna couldn't read his emotions like a book. "So does she?" he asked curiously.  
  
"Not sure," Luna frowned. "Azkaban tends to only permit misery so it would be hard for any prisoner to feel anything positive like love while in there. Then again, she was checking him out when he wasn't looking."  
  
"All you girls check him out when he's not looking," Draco said sourly.  
  
"Eye candy," Luna said unapologetically without flickering an eyelash. "But he's not as cute as you," she said with teasing syrupy sweetness, going up to him and putting her arms around him smiling up into his angular face.  
  
"Sure," he said dourly but relaxed when Luna nestled her dark head against his shoulder and held him close, breathing in his scent. All thoughts of Archimedes and Jasmine went immediately out of his head as his long fingers curled around hers. 


	22. Epilogue, We Are Everyday Angels

A/N - Well, this is it. I have no idea whether anyone is still following this story but I'm glad it's finally all posted. That completes a trilogy and I'm comfortable with leaving it there.. There is potential to do a sequel to 'For Love is as Strong as Death' but there would be a lot of OCs in it because it would happen mainly in the children's generation and I'm not sure how many people would actually be interested in that.  
  
Epilogue  
  
"Is not this the fast that I have chosen?- to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free" Isaiah 58:6  
  
It took until the end of the semester to convince the legal authorities and finalise the paperwork but finally Archimedes had the authority for the youngster's release just as Winter was turning the landscape frosty.  
  
Luna knew that Archimedes had been visiting Jasmine regularly at Azkaban and felt quite smug about having shoved him in the right direction on that score. She was sure that without her teasing advice he would never have thought to actually show the girl that he loved her. Luna had visited once or twice herself taking messages from Jinty and it had done her heart good to see the faint gleam of happiness in Jasmine's tortured eyes when she saw Archimedes' broad shoulders appear in her cell doorway.  
  
Luna herself simply liked basking in the gentle, warm glow of the man's emotions for the girl. It was such a pleasant feeling to be able to read for once. Mostly the emotions she picked up on were the very strong, unpleasant ones such as fear or anger or malice or vengence or suffering. She reflected that Archimedes love for Jasmine must be very strong indeed if she could read it so clearly. It reminded her of the strength of feeling between Snape and Hermione although that was of a different quality altogether. Snape's love for Hermione was fierce and complex like flame but Archimedes' love for Jasmine was uncomplicated and gentle, like a steady cool light. She wondered curiously how Draco's love for her would feel if she could be outside it but knew it was useless speculation, she would never know.  
  
If she'd asked Archimedes he could have told her immediately. Draco's love for her was still but deep, as deep as a well with no bottom.  
  
* * *  
  
Luna had not told Jinty of the Ministry's plans to release the young Death Eater prisoners in case there was a hitch and she had built up her hopes only to have them cruelly dashed. The day Archimedes told her that he had the paperwork in his hands she had grinned at him and said, "you can go and rescue your damsel in distress and I'm going to go and tell her sister right now! We'll meet back at Dumbledore's offices. I don't want Jinty exposed to Azkaban when she's still so young," Luna said as though she was not just barely 20 herself.  
  
Archimedes had curtly nodded his agreement but his eyes were already focused inward and Luna knew he was thinking about nothing more than getting Jasmine out of that hellhole as quickly as he could.  
  
Luna interrupted Jinty's Potions class and took the girl into the Hogwarts quadrangle. There was another Slytherin boy with a brother in Azkaban and Draco was currently breaking the news to him.  
  
Luna grinned at Jinty. "Well, how would you like to see Jasmine today?" she asked without preamble.  
  
"Am I allowed to go and visit Azkaban?" Jinty said hopefully.  
  
"You don't need to go to Azkaban. Jasmine will be in Dumbledore's office in just under an hour," Luna said, checking her watch.  
  
Jinty's eyes grew very, very wide. "Really? How? I thought they were never allowed out," she said faintly.  
  
"They aren't, if they're still prisoners. Of course, if they've been released for good, it doesn't matter," Luna said triumphantly.  
  
Jinty's mouth was open in amazement. "They're going to let her out? Forever? For good?" she whispered, hardly daring to hope.  
  
"Yes! Archimedes and Dumbledore have been working on the Ministry and the legal authorities for all the young Death Eaters to be released. Anyone who had been a Death Eater for less than a year leading up to the discovery of the Gillamoor camp has been pardoned!" Luna explained, tears in her eyes.  
  
Jinty put her head down and burst into tears. She sobbed and sobbed, and Luna held her close smoothing her glorious hair comfortingly. "I don't know why I'm crying," she hiccupped. "It's such incredible news. I never would have dreamed this could happen."  
  
"It was Archimedes idea. He's a good man," Luna said with certainty. After all, Luna thought, may as well get the girl used to the idea of Archimedes as she was sure he would soon be Jinty's brother-in-law.  
  
* * *  
  
Archimedes ducked slightly to get into Jasmine's cell. Other people from the Ministry were currently releasing the other young prisoners but Archimedes wanted to tell Jasmine the news himself. Jasmine's tall, too- thin frame was leaning against a wall. Her bare arms were clutched around her and she was staring at the floor. When Archimedes came in, she looked up and almost smiled.  
  
"I have good news Jasmine. You can leave Azkaban today." His gaze, while not exactly gentle or caressing was softer than its usual strict gravity as it rested on her.  
  
"The papers have come through?" she said, barely above a whisper.  
  
"Yes. Here is a Patronous Cloak. There are new robes waiting for you and the others at the prison entry," he said, holding out the filmy white cloak.  
  
Hesitantly she took it from him as though afraid it was really all a cruel delusion. Her hands were shaking so much she couldn't get the robe on so Archimedes deftly helped her. Once it was on, the worst of the effects of Azkaban were lifted and suddenly Jasmine smiled up at him. Archimedes stared down at her feeling something he couldn't put a name to even if he had wished to. Unexpectedly he felt a cold, thin hand press his and without thinking he took it and held it in a firm, warm grip.  
  
* * *  
  
Draco didn't think he'd ever seen so many tears in his life. This place is going to be flooded, he thought with alarm as Jinty and Jasmine cried and cried as they held each other. Even Luna was crying a bit, he observed with surprise. Luna wasn't the sort of girl who cried when she watched sad movies. "There are enough things to cry about in real life without crying over a damn movie," she'd once said to him. Now that things were happy, here she was crying. Women are a mystery, he thought with resignation.  
  
He had shaken hands with Crabbe and was genuinely glad to see him out of Azkaban. Draco had never seen him looking so thin. Delius Snout, the young first year Slytherin that Draco had the job of telling that his brother was now free was crying too and trying very hard not to. His older brother was all he had left in the world now with his parents still both in Azkaban. Having his brother released meant he had a family again even a much shrunken one.  
  
All in all there was around half a dozen released prisoners. Only Delius' brother and Jasmine had younger siblings to greet them.  
  
"All you young people have Archimedes to thank for your release. It was his idea and his hard work that brought you out of Azkaban," Dumbledore had said gravely, once the tears had dried up a bit.  
  
Archimedes tensed. He did not like being the center of attention even for a moment. He was too caught up in trying not to betray himself by watching Jasmine like a hawk or following her around the room to make sure she was alright. Just cleaned up and dressed she immediately looked much better. Pomphrey had given them all Pepper-Up Potion and she now had some colour in her face.  
  
By the time they were all calm enough to have a cup of tea, Jasmine had dragged Jinty back over to where Archimedes was and sat like a queen with him on one side and her sister on the other. Much to Archimedes embarrassment, the girl discreetly slipped her hand back into his but he wasn't about to let it go. Luna smirked happily to herself when she saw it and Jinty observed it with interest then looked pleased. Archimedes saw Jinty's pleased look and let his breath out in relief.  
  
Draco sat with his tea thinking how he hated it that Luna was always right about these things and Dumbledore's eyes twinkled in approval.  
  
* * *  
  
"Do you know they're engaged already?" Luna commented one evening about a month later.  
  
"Who?" Draco said vaguely as he had been distracted by contemplating Luna's red tartan mini-skirt which was his personal favourite.  
  
"Archimedes and Jasmine, of course! Jinty is thrilled. She's going to live with them after she finishes at Hogwarts this year," Luna said, gently swinging one shapely crossed leg.  
  
Draco was sure Luna did these things on purpose to distract him and dragged his eyes from the length of slender, stockinged leg. "That is pretty fast," he agreed, his eyes returning to the mini skirt again.  
  
"I suppose there was all that time she was in Azkaban that he was visiting her. That's nearly 6 months," she mused. "Still, 20 is awfully young to be getting married," she added with a worried look.  
  
"It's not really," Draco disagreed. "Plenty of people get married that young."  
  
"Mmmmm," Luna mumbled, frowning and taking another sip of her drink as she got lost in thought.  
  
"He's a fast worker," Draco mused aloud, talking more to himself than to Luna.  
  
"No, I think he's chivalrous and a gentleman. He probably proposed marriage before he proposed anything else," Luna said, one dark eyebrow raised in amusement. "Especially as he's slightly older than her although not much," she qualified.  
  
"Would you have liked me to be such a gentleman?" Draco asked insinuatingly knowing perfectly well what her answer would be.  
  
"Certainly not," Luna replied without hesitation or apology. "I'm not that patient, to be frank. I want what I want and I want it now." Draco grinned one of his rare grins. "Having said that, I still waited around for you for 2 months longer than I should have," she teased. "Maybe if I'd gone out with Roy sooner, I might have got what I really wanted more quickly," she added slyly, her green eyes dancing.  
  
"Oh, nothing like playing to win," he drawled, returning her look then smiling to himself feeling rather pleased. "What age do you think it's appropriate to get married?" Draco asked, changing the subject abruptly back to something she'd said earlier that had bothered him.  
  
Luna shrugged and didn't reply immediately. "I've never thought about it. Why, have you?" she asked worriedly.  
  
"I guess not but 20 isn't too young," he reiterated. There was silence as she stared into the fire, her face blank. "You wear that skirt to drive me crazy, don't you?" he stated dryly a couple of seconds later. Luna smiled slowly.  
  
* * *  
  
"It's a disease and everyone's getting it," Luna said the next week after she and Draco met up at the Manor after the day's lectures.  
  
"What's that?" he asked absently, sorting through his mail.  
  
"Ron and Padma, they're engaged now. They're getting married next summer," Luna said incredulously, rolling her eyes.  
  
"Do you feel left out?" Draco asked teasingly but actually really wanting to know the answer and rather hoping it was 'yes'. Draco did not want to get married anytime soon more because he felt there was no rush about it than because he was adverse to it. In Luna he had found someone that he could actually imagine being married to but they had plenty of time to settle down. He was happy not to do so until their late 20s, until they were ready to have children.  
  
"Uhhhhh, no," Luna said, as though he had suggested she might feel left out of something rather awful.  
  
Draco looked up from his mail and considered her seriously from under his fair brows. She was not looking at him however, she was warming her hands in front of the fire. He didn't understand her odd, reluctant attitude to marriage. Her own parents were not divorced so she had no reason to be cynical. He wanted to find out more but didn't want to press the issue as yet. After all, they had been going out for only around a year or so and he was not in a rush. "Have they set a date?" he asked casually as he went back to the mail.  
  
"Nah, just sometime in July," Luna replied.  
  
"I wonder if Snape and Hermione will get married," Draco mused realizing that those two had been together for well over a year.  
  
"I think they're happy the way they are," Luna shrugged.  
  
"Snape would want an heir, I imagine," Draco said lightly, watching her surreptitiously again.  
  
"Yes," Luna replied vaguely then went and got her books to do some study before dinner in the library.  
  
Draco bit the inside of his lip worriedly as he watched her go.  
  
TBC..  
  
A/N - All chapter titles are from Jewel's album - 'Pieces of You'. 


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